


Something to Live For

by dontbecooler, SuperOreoManRPs (SuperOreoMan)



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Angst, Baby Dragon, Elves, Fluff, Human Smaug, Injury, K so thats set straight, M/M, NO CREEPY DRAGON SEX, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-04 02:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1763483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontbecooler/pseuds/dontbecooler, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperOreoMan/pseuds/SuperOreoManRPs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Smaug was having a good day. It was when he tried to change back his day had gone to shit. He couldn't turn back.  Not only that, but the little dragon, could hear someone in his cave. He gathered his courage and ran towards the intruder. He would make them go away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mountain

**Author's Note:**

> Second thing I've been doing instead of studying oops. Hey but this is cool so...
> 
> SuperOreoMan was Bilbo
> 
> I was Smaug
> 
> Getting made into Chapters by request :)
> 
> Ten bonus points if you get all the Sherlock references haha

Smaug had been having a good day. He woke up, and he had been surrounded by his gold like usual, and then he had morphed into his human state, admiring his reflection and adding flecks of gold to his brunet hair. He had then gone back to his dragon form, yawning and falling back asleep. He woke up again after around an hour, and morphed into hatchling form, running around and climbing pillars in the small form, flying around the cave much easier as a child than in his large adult form. He had practiced breathing fire from the small form, something he had been working on for a long time. He could make a great deal of smoke, but no flame yet. It was when he tried to change back his day had gone to shit. He couldn't turn back. It wasn't working. He just couldn't do it. He was stuck. Not only that, but the little dragon, about the size of a pony, could hear someone in his cave, and he didn't know the smell. Mind slightly more childish in this form, the dragon let out a frightened whine. He was very susceptible to being killed like this, unable to protect himself. What if the dwarves came and took his gold? Smaug sniffed. The person had brought more gold into his cave, but he still couldn't place the scent. Smaug whined again, but gathered his courage and ran towards the noises, growling as loudly as he could. He got over the closest gold dune, but tripped on the way down, coming to a sliding stop before a small creature.

Bilbo carefully picked his way over the mounds of gold, wincing every time the gold shifted loudly under his feet. He was searching for the Arkenstone, when suddenly a loud snarl ripped through the air. Terror seized him as he turned to face the angry dragon running at him, even when its claw caught, sending it tumbling down the golden hill, sending showers of coins in all directions. The dragon was smaller than Bilbo had imagined, but it was no less terrifying even as it slid to a stop at his feet.

Smaug looked up, eyes flashing. He went to roar loudly, but all that came out was a small squeak. He narrowed his eyes to slits, as he took a few deep breaths in through his nose.

"What are you?" He asked, trying to stand but his feet were clumsy and it took him a little while. Once he was standing, he bared his teeth as much as he could, though it felt weird trying to do so in his young form. He felt too vulnerable in front of the mini thing, but he had pretend he was in control of the whole situation. He repeated his question, letting smoke hiss out of his nostrils. "What are you?"

Bilbo stood frozen, cringing away as the beast stood up and....squeaked at him? He cracked open an eye, his fear dwindling as he watched the dragon—a drakeling, he corrected himself as he looked more closely—struggle with its limbs and stability. It was clumsy, but still a dragon, and Bilbo wasn't about to defy it. "I'm a hobbit!" he exclaimed fearfully. "A hobbit!"

Smaug's ear twitched. A hobbit? What is a hobbit? Smaug puffed out some smoke, and let it engulf the so called hobbit. "More a thief," he growled, though his voice was too quiet and high pitched for his liking. His golden eyes were narrowed still, and he tried not quiver. New creatures were normally nothing to the dragon, but this new creature had found him in a rather untimely state. "Am I correct? You have come to steal from me?" His lip curled up dangerously, though inside he did not feel very threatening.

"I—no! No, of course not!" Bilbo denied feverishly. He shook his head and took a few steps backward. "I've just....I've come to see if the rumors were true, oh Smaug, the....magnificent." Not quite as magnificent as the stories said, though, which did make him feel better because he thought he could probably outrun this creature.

Smaug let out a menacing snarl. "You and I both know I'm not living up to expectations at present time." He took a few extremely steady steps forward, getting right into the creatures space. "A liar and a thief..." He hissed, claws clicking dangerously on the coins.

"You aren't...quite what I was expecting," Bilbo admitted, taking a stumbling step back. "I'm not here to steal from you, Smaug the Stupendous. Who would be mad enough to try?"

"You." Smaug tilted his head in a predatory way, tongue running over the teeth that were far too small in his opinion. His previous fear had dispersed at this little thing being frightened of him, and he opened his jaws wide in a yawn. "So, I'll give you two choices." He blinked slowly, letting his stomach glow with the fire in his stomach, and though he couldn't actually spit it this young, the hobbit didn’t need to know. "Give me the gold you came in with, and you can take what you want to leave with," he gave a smile that was less happy and more 'you're going to die', "Or burn."

"What?" the hobbit replied, eyes widening as a hand flew to his pocket, protecting the ring.  "How did you—? I can't just give it to you!"

Smaug eyes widened. "Oh?" He grinned even wider. "Why not? Would you rather die instead?" He hummed, stepping forward again, and his tongue flicked out. "It's extremely magical, and I want it. So take what you want, and give up the thing you possess. It's not a bad deal."

"I can't! It's mine!" Bilbo snapped, turning his side away from the dragon to protect his ring. He suddenly realized what he'd unintentionally said, and stared fearfully back at the dragon, anticipating its wrath.

"I can't?" Smaug asked, moving forward even more slowly still. "Did you just say I can't?" He kept his voice languid and smooth, and as soon as the creature unknowingly backed itself into a pillar Smaug raised onto his hind legs. "You don't understand, thief. You see," he gave a throaty chuckle, "I am a dragon." He ran one claw down the hobbits front, almost purring. He snapped his mouth closed. "Rethink," he growled.

When Bilbo's back hit the pillar, he let out a little yelp of surprise. "Why...do you want it?" he asked, his voice coming out much more high pitched than usual. He tried to ignore the claw sliding threateningly down his chest. "It's....nothing special....."

Smaug leaned forward, one paw pressing on the pillar by the hobbits head. He brought his teeth by the small little jaw of the other creature, letting his tongue dart out and taste the skin. He let out a dark chuckle. "Then you won't mind handing it over..."

The drakeling was far more intimidating  now that it was so close and pinning Bilbo against a wall. It seemed to realize this as well, as it grew bolder. Bilbo squeezed his eyes shut with fear, and stuck his hand in his pocket to grip the ring. "Don't you have enough gold without this tiny trinket?"

Smaug purred. "Not all my things are magical," he stated, eyelids fluttering against his golden irises. "You really have no other choice," he explained, now both paws holding the hobbits head in place by having one either side. He snapped his teeth together, a small amount of boiling spittle landing on his clothes, and steaming.

At this point, Bilbo wasn't sure he'd make it out of here without complying, so he reluctantly pulled his hand from his pocket. He hesitated for a moment, swallowing nervously, and held the ring out tentatively. He hoped the dragon would keep to its word after receiving it, because without the ring, Bilbo really had no means of hiding from it.

Smaug grinned, teeth glinting. He pulled out a claw sliding out down to slip the ring over the end of it. Not a good idea. It stung and burnt right to his core, like fire would if it could harm him. The dragon let out an inhuman shriek of pain, flinging his paw out to make the ring land on a pile of gold far away from them. He dropped down onto all fours, keening as his whole body ached, now that the evil object was away from him. He turned on the spot, head ducked, whining slightly and blinking slowly, the pain unknown to him and making him frightened. "Demon Work," he hissed, trying to make himself small.

Bilbo was so surprised by the dragon's outburst that he fell sideways. Scrambling into a sitting position, he watched in dismay as his precious ring was thrown far away, into a sea of gold, possibly never to be found. With a sinking heart he dared to glance back at Smaug, who seemed terrified and in pain. "Are you alright?" Bilbo asked without thinking, his engrained hobbit manners taking over as he saw the poor creature  suffering.

Smaug let out another sad keen. "That- that-" he tried to say, but it made his heart hurt. He sniffed, and in a protective manner, he blew out clouds of smoke, letting it engulf his frame. He blinked sadly as he ached, rolling around now, in his gold as a mechanism of coping. Also, he was being a little dramatic, seeing as there was a creature to see him, and was obviously going to worry for him.

Part of Bilbo wanted to run while he could, but the other part told him to stay and make sure the drakeling was alright. There was a third bit of him that pushed for Bilbo to go find the ring, but he ignored that for the moment. After watching the dragon rolling around in distress for several moments, he finally worked up the courage to speak. "Did that ring hurt you?"

Smaug  hissed out a laugh. He sat up dismally, looking at the smoky figure a little way from him. "Pain like I've never felt," he stated, blinking slowly, sadly. "Why you have such an evil artifact puzzles me." He stuck his tongue out, wanting to find the ring and burn it in the fiery pits if his stomach, but knew that if he tried to consume it he would be stupid, more so than this creature.

"Are you alright now?" Bilbo asked, feeling guilty for the ring having caused it pain—even though Smaug had demanded he hand it over. "I didn't know it would hurt you."

Smaug nodded, and started walking towards the little thing once more, using lithe quick movements to be right by his face once more. He looked at the plain brown eyes, blinking slowly. He tilted his head, like a curious puppy, and did something rather involuntarily. He ducked his head and ran it along the hobbit’s jaw, in a scaly form of a nuzzle. The little dragon was still distressed, and the action provided a small amount of comfort.

Bilbo let out a yelp and cringed away, thinking the dragon was going for his throat, but froze as it turned out to be.....a nuzzle? His eyes darted down to the cowering creature to see that it was, indeed, trying to find solace by cuddling right into him. Still very confused, Bilbo let his hand come up to tentatively stroke the drakeling's neck in a robotic 'there, there' motion.

Smaug let out a gurbled purr come out of his throat, pressing closer to the touch. It had been a very long time since he had been touched in a gentle way, and the fact that he was young and frightened made the feeling better by ten fold. "Very evil thing," he stated again, pulling back and blinking slowly, innocently

"Feeling better?" Bilbo asked with a small, nervous smile. Smaug seemed to vulnerable right now, but Bilbo had heard the tales of the devastation the dragon had caused. He was a bit unsure how such a small thing could cause such destruction, but he didn't want to find out now.

Smaug nodded slowly. "Yes," he said plainly, sitting down on his haunches with a huff, gaze flicking over to where the ring had fallen. He could hone his eyes onto it precisely, but he didn’t want the hobbit to know that.

"Well, if everyone's all better now," Bilbo began as he scrambled to his feet, "then I'd best be off. Wonderful hoard, by the way. Truly splendid. Nice to meet you, good day." He said it all quickly and nervously as he started moving, hoping to take Smaug by surprise so he could escape before the dragon realized his plan.

Smaug looked sharply back at the little thing. "Why are you leaving?" He asked, tone disheartened. He felt like he hadn’t done anything wrong. He sniffed, feeling small and stupid. He shouldn't have gotten close to him without intent to injure. If his mother had still been alive she'd be disappointed. "You haven't even stole what you came to steal," he stated plainly.

Bilbo paused at the sound of Smaug's voice. So much for that plan. He turned to face the drakeling nervously, hugging his arms to himself self consciously. "I...didn't come to steal anything," he tried weakly.

Smaug gave a dragon version of a shrug, earlier macho slowly coming back. "Then you're welcome to leave," he said with a slight incline of his head towards the exit.

Bilbo hesitated. Smaug was right, after all—he hadn't gotten the Arkenstone yet, the reason he was even in here at all. Bilbo wrung his hands anxiously. "Suppose....suppose someone did come to take something," he started slowly, not quite meeting the dragon's gaze. "Just one thing. What would you do?"

Smaug tilted his head thoughtfully. "No one steals from me," he said. "I would burn the or eat them..." He nodded. "Or both." Smaug dragon-shrugged again.

"Ah. I see," Bilbo replied, his voice cracking a bit. He cleared his throat and started slowly backing up. "In that case....I'll just be going." And with that, Bilbo took off, slipping and sliding through heaps of gold in a frantic effort to make it to the exit.

Smaug sat back and waited patiently for the hobbit to leave. It was probably very stupid of the dragon, seeing as the hobbit probably had friends and would bring them back, but his chest was aching still and he couldn't be bothered. He blinked slowly, turning his head to train his gaze on the ring. It was now protruding an awful smell, to him anyway, and he hissed softly. He went about burying it under huge piles of treasure, cursing in dragon-tongue and making sure the pile was huge before finding a pillar and climbing it. Feeling rather tired from all the moving around, he settled in a crook of the pillar and let his eyelids fall shut.

Once Bilbo was out of the gold, he stopped, heart thudding. After a few moments of silence, he peeked around the corner to watch the tiny figure of Smaug as it remained sitting for some time, and then started moving. Odd. Bilbo had been certain that it would give chase—not that he was unhappy it didn't. The drakeling made a beeline for some specific piece of treasure and began burying it, like a dog burying a bone. Squinting, Bilbo could tell it was something small....the ring! And Smaug was burying it under mountains of treasure. Bilbo's heart sank. There was no way he would ever find it now.

When Smaug was done, the dragon climbed to the top of another pillar and began to sleep. Biblo took that as his cue to come out of hiding and begin the search for the Arkenstone anew.

Smaug hadn't actually fallen asleep. He was just resting. Was the hobbit ill in the mind? He peeked out from under one eyelid, watching the creature silently. He would come down once the creature had found its treasure, and take back what was his without hesitation of mauling him.

Bilbo didn't even know where to start looking, and he was doubtful if he would ever find the gem. He kept sneaking cautious glances at the motionless dragon, fearful that it would wake up to find the hobbit back in its den. Fortunately for Bilbo, Smaug didn't wake up. Unfortunately for Bilbo, he was having trouble locating the Arkenstone. Bilbo was about to hurl down another not-Arkenstone, a flash of glowing light caught his eye.

Smaug let his tongue out to taste the air, breathing slowly and making an act of 'being asleep'. He watched the hobbit scramble towards a very special stone. Of course. The dwarf stone. He should have known. It was obvious, and he was sure he had smelt the disgusting short things on the creature. He huffed, pushing off the pillar and gliding as silently as he could to the ground. It would have been perfect if he had not tripped over his own feet in the landing process, and fallen on his face with a grunt. He sat up as quickly as he could, looking at the little creature with wide eyes. "Hobbit! You came back!" He made an act of looking extremely pleased, wiggling his tail and smiling 'genuinely'. A smile for him was more a showing of teeth with his tongue lolling out.

Bilbo nearly jumped straight into the air when the dragon made another sudden appearance. "I...er...yes," he replied, trying to remain calm, but his voice coming out higher in pitch than Smaug's.

Smaug was grinning internally, as he stepped forward, wrapping himself around the hobbits legs, like a particularly scaley cat. "I thought you were leaving me all on my own!" He said excitedly, forcing himself to purr as he saw the Arkenstone in the creatures hands, as the little thing tried to hide it. "But you came back!" He pulled away, enveloping the creature in a warm steam, purring still as he sat back on his haunches.

Bilbo tensed as the dragon curled around his legs, and shifted his hold on the Arkenstone, forcing a smile onto his lips. But Smaug didn't seem aggressive... The dragon was actually back to being affectionate. Bilbo took an unconscious step back, giving a little cough through the steam. "I did come back."

Smaug blinked slowly, narrowing his eyes. "Did you bring something back with you?" He asked, adopting the most innocent tone he could muster. "Because I didn't mean to lose your ring... And I can always give you something in return."

Bilbo looked up hopefully. Maybe, just maybe, Smaug would let him walk out of here with the Arkenstone. "Would you really?" Bilbo asked enthusiastically, shifting his hold on the stone again.

Smaug gave a light chuckle. "What's in your hand first, silly," he said stepping forward on one paw as he tilted his head.

Bilbo hesitated, but he didn't really see another option.  "Well....I didn't exactly bring it here," he admitted, pulling his hand slowly out from behind his back to nervously reveal the Arkenstone. "I found it. Here, I mean."

Smaug stopped, acting slightly confused. "You were... Going to... Take it?" He asked, quietly, tilting his head and widening his eyes. He blinked once, twice, and shook his head. "You said you weren't going to take anything." He let out a small growl. "You liar!"

"You said I could," Bilbo pointed out quickly, stepping backward instinctively. His heart started thumping faster at Smaug's sudden change in demeanor. "I-I....well, I just—"

"STOP!" The little dragon roared, cutting the thing off as he stood on his hind legs. This is what he lived for, the shaking, terrified little things, afraid of him. And even though he was little, he could strike fear into creatures none the less. "You lied to me and then you tried to steal." He let out choked little noises, as if he was actually offended. "I was frightened and you lied and then you TRIED TO STEAL!" His whole frame was trembling. It had been a long time since he had acted, and he felt extremely empowered. "LIAR!" He shrieked, words becoming garbled as the decibels rose. "THIEF!"

Bilbo paled. Smaug's sudden outburst took him completely by surprise, but he managed to remain motionless. "You...weren't frightened when I left...." the hobbit tried meekly, a sinking feeling in his gut. "It's not.... It wasn't stealing..."

"Lying!" The dragon yelled again, more quietly now as he dropped to his feet again and slunk forward. He tilted his head, teeth showing now, but not pleasantly. "You said and I went so far as to trust you!" He made a pained gurgle in the back of his throat, to suppress the chuckle that threatened to ruin everything. "What am I supposed to do now?!" He rolled onto his back, but went upright immediately. He felt like he might be pushing it slightly, so he toned it down slightly. He let out a small hiss, straightening up and looking the little thing in the eye, gold eyes boiling. "What should I do with you then Liar?" He asked, tone dropping down into the menacing calm it had been previously.

"Er....let me go?" he suggested halfheartedly, knowing that wouldn't be an option. Bilbo's heart sank. This was it then. This was how he was going to die. He supposed it was a rather brave way to go....or it would seem that way to others anyway. At the moment, Bilbo wasn't at all too proud to start begging for his life.

There was a dark chuckle echoing around the cave now, and Smaug found himself very adverse to the idea funnily enough. But... For some reason, he didn't want to kill the little thing either. That was what worried him. He tilted his head as he thought, blinking slowly and not letting his gaze leave the hobbit. "I think..." He said slowly, sitting back with a huff, "I'll give you ten seconds." He grinned like a shark. Yes, a chase would bring the animal out, and he would have no qualms with killing the pesky thing.

The hobbit blanched. "You'll what?" Bilbo nearly squeaked, although he thought he already knew where this was going. Yes. Death it was.

Smaugs grin widened. "Twenty then, you idiot," he snapped. "Run along little thief, for its the only chance you'll get." He sniffed disdainfully. If only he was in full form, then he could kill this thing with the flick of a claw... But he felt annoyed that there was an idea present that he didn’t like. He couldn't picture feeling pleased at the creatures death. Hmm. "Twenty... Nineteen-"

Bilbo thought about begging, but he figured that would just get him dead faster. So, the little hobbit took off, scrambling over the treasure, sliding all over the place in his race to keep living. If he could just get back to the dwarves....surely all of them together could deal with such a tiny foe?

Smaug began counting down in his head, more slowly than he had been out loud. After all, the little creature would not be able to get away, and he would catch it whether it had twenty seconds or thirty. He watched it as it ran away, tripping slightly on his gold with terror. This is what he lived for. Wasn’t it?

Bilbo knew the damn thing was playing with him. Too frantic to focus on that thought with a scowl, he continued his attempted escape. He tripped over a particularly large golden goblet, and scrambled to pull himself back to his feet.

Smaug decided he would wait until the creature was at the exit before he took after it. After all, it was having a rather hard time getting over all of his gold, and Smaug deemed himself a merciful creature, so the hobbit would have a little longer to live, yes, he would, and Smaug wouldn't feel as terrible. Damn his young mind! Making him feel guilt where there should be none!

As Bilbo approached the exit, he dared to turn his head back to Smaug. The dragon was just sitting there, staring at him. His steps faltered for just a moment, but he turned forward again and plowed on. Maybe he would make it....

As soon as the hobbit’s foot touched the corridor stone, Smaug took off with quick sharp flaps of his wings. There was no way this creature could escape him, none at all. Despite the guilt already threading through the drakeling’s gut the feeling of dignity he would lose would be much much worse. He flew rather well, landing on the cobbled stones about ten seconds after the hobbit, smoke billowing out of his lungs in an attempt to blind his victim.

Bilbo was suddenly engulfed in smoke. He coughed, which slowed him down, but he refused to stop moving. His eyes stung, but he managed to turn his head again to check behind him, only to find that he could hardly see what was behind him.

Smaug slithered through the corridors with ease, following the coughing with his ears rather than watching the creature with his eyes, which were rendered useless by his tactic. But the dragon was at an advantage... Again. He hissed ominously, reveling in the adrenaline of the chase. He would catch up soon, of course he would, and then this would all be over, and he could go and sleep this all off, pretend it had never happened.

Bilbo squeezed his eyes shut, partly to relieve the stinging, and partly in fear. He opted to start feeling his way along the wall, seeing as his sight was successfully rendered useless. His heartbeat quickened when he heard the dragon hiss, but it bounced off the walls and he couldn't tell where it came from.

Smaug was rather close and he could feel the air move as the hobbit gasped desperately. Smaug grinned, running forward with clicking claws to announce his arrival. He stretched out, knowing it would be seconds until he was upon the little thing...

Bilbo froze as he heard Smaug's claws against stone, but forced himself to start running again, using his hand against the wall to guide him.

**  
  
**

He was so close, and he bared his teeth, more smoke coming out of his mouth as he did so, claws actually coming into contact with flesh- suddenly there was a pull of magic, like he was out of a bubble, and claws were shortening, becoming nails, sharp teeth becoming blunt, and some scales turned into skin. Completely surprised, Smaug let out a cry, but it was not dragon any longer. It was the cry of a man. He fell on top of the hobbit, coughing hysterically as smoke invaded his lungs. This was not normal. What had caused this? Human brain clicked things together rather quickly, and Smaug swore rather loudly. The hobbit had brought in the ring, causing the dragon to stay in drakeling form. Now he was out of range, the magic had come coursing out, turning him into the first thing it could. A human-dragon hybrid. Smaug could feel his brown gold curls dropping against his face, and he rolled off the little thing he had been sitting involuntarily on. "That wasn’t supposed to happen," he rumbled in an annoyed baritone, standing up and dusting off his limbs. Some of the scales had remained so, and they glinted red. Smaug hissed, though it sounded foreign off his human tongue.

Bilbo grunted as he was thrown to the ground, with something—no, someone—falling over top of him. He looked over hopefully—maybe he'd run into one of the dwarves?—only to come face to face with a man. No, not a man, Bilbo realized with confusion as it climbed off him and spoke in a low voice. As the smoke cleared, Bilbo made out the flash of scales against the man's skin. No, that....wasn't possible.....was it?

Smaug began pacing, glad his magic had decided to cover his decency with a cloth. "How bloody typical!" He stated, probably to the hobbit but not really. "I'm just about to get you and you're pathetic excuse for jewelry decides to take its hold off me and ruin everything!" He crossed his arms over his bare chest, glaring at the wall, gold eyes flashing. "And now I'm going to have to let you go because lord knows I'm not killing you with my bare hands!" He flicked his head slightly, getting a stray strand of hair off of his face, a expression of the most extreme annoyance dancing across his high cheek bones.

"Smaug?" Bilbo asked dumbly, still sprawled across the ground. What was he talking about? The ring....the ring had done all this? What, made the dragon human?

The dragon man turned and looked flatly at the hobbit. "No, actually, I'm the long lost heir to the dwarven throne," he snapped, sarcasm dripping off his tongue like venom. "Of course it's me you idiot." He raised a gold dusted eyebrow at the little man, and decided that yes, he could offer a hand to the creature and survive. So he did so, holding out a partially scaled hand for the other humanoid to take hold of.

Bilbo took the offered hand without thinking, still confused. As he was pulled to his feet, he continued to examine him. He stared at the part dragon, part man—a particularly handsome man, Bilbo noted—and his brow furrowed. "But...how?"

Smaug huffed at the hobbits obvious shock-induced stupidity. He crossed his arms again, leaning on one hip as he explained. "Your evil artifact obviously hindered my magic abilities of shifting, and when I got out of range it changed me suddenly." He caught his bottom lip in his teeth, and while they were more blunt than usual, they were still sharper than usual teeth. "I would change back and kill you but I don't seem to want to see you dead." He shrugged his pale shoulders, shaking his head slightly and showering the pair in specks of gold.

Bilbo blinked rapidly. Dragons could shift? He'd never heard anything about dragons being able to change forms, yet here was the evidence staring before him. "Oh. Er...thank you?" he replied, not quite sure how to respond, but physically relaxing at the dragon's admission.

The dragon rolled his eyes. "And you might as well keep the Arkenstone," he sighed resignedly. "Those disgusting dwarves won't let you leave until you have it, and they'll end up killing me anyway." The dragon was unsure why he suddenly felt so defeated. Maybe it was because the first time in his life he actually hadn’t caught his prey, or that today was the day his magic hadn’t worked and he'd been hurt. All of it added together made it seem like a bit too much. Walking backwards until his back hit the corridor wall, he slid down it, looking up at the hobbit. "Maybe I should stay in this form, it'd be easier for them to kill me." Smaug lay his head back onto the wall, shutting his eyes halfway.

Bilbo knew he should be relieved, but he couldn't help it as he narrowed his eyes. "You're giving up? Just like that?" he demanded, climbing to his feet and putting his hands on his hips.

Smaug blinked slowly, eyes opening fully. "Of course. There is no outcome visible where we both come out alive." He shrugged, and this time it was a proper human shrug, not a dragon one. "Since I seem to rather you alive for some reason, I've decided that it would be better for me to 'sacrifice' myself, or something." He sighed, a long drawn out noise. "Also, I've been having a bad day."

"So, you're going to give up on life because of one bad day?" Bilbo questioned, crossing his arms. Something about a dragon giving up on life just didn't sit well with him. "I'm sure we could work something out. Neither one of us has to die."

Smaug blinked slowly. "I don't have bad days," he stated, unaware that he was acting like a moody teenage girl. "Those dwarves won't let me live, you know that."

"So don't let them see you," Bilbo retorted. "Besides, now that you're away from the ring, can't you just....go back to being a dragon?"

Smaug let out a throaty laugh, wriggling his toes because it amused him. "I cannot be a dragon without my gold," he said slowly, looking at the hobbit in case he was missing the point. "Your ring is hidden in my gold. I do not wish to stay there."

"Then go be a human," Bilbo suggested with a shrug. "Go live somewhere else. Don't just give up and die!"

Smaug raised his eyebrows again. "I am old," he said tiredly. "What do you, a measly hobbit, know about being old. Death might be an adventure." He shrugged. "I have no kin, nor a partner. Without my gold, there is nothing to live for. I, now, have nothing to live for." He was saying each sentence rather monotonously, as if he changed his tone the little man would get lost and ask questions.

"I know little about being old," he admitted, ignoring the jab, "but I know you don't just need gold to live. There's lots of things to live for—the sun's warmth on your face, exploring new places, watching the sunset, spending time with friends, delicious foods...." Bilbo trailed off and looked away. He guessed he really didn't know what dragons were interested in. "Isn't there anything besides gold that you like?"

Smaug thought for barely a second before he answered. "Sleep, but death is a permanent version of it so win-win." The dragon hesitated a second before answering the second one. "And sex. Obviously. But since there are barely any dragons left I am safe to assume that abstinence is the only option. Fire is nice also."

Bilbo flushed. He hadn't been expecting that. "Fire's good," he replied slowly, wringing his hands and refraining from acknowledging the second one. "So...live for fire?" he continued, suddenly uncertain. How does one convince a suicidal dragon to live?

Smaug chuckled darkly. "I appreciate your efforts to help me, little one," he purred, letting his eyes fall shut, "but to ease my mind I recommend you run along to your dwarves and leave me be."

Bilbo just stood there for a moment, considering it, but decided not to in favor of walking up to him and sitting down beside him. "Maybe it's just hobbit manners," he began, glancing sideways at Smaug, "but I don't think I could leave anyone alone when they're this down."

This time, Smaugs laugh was completely genuine. "Dragons do not get 'down'," he said after regaining composure. He left his eyes closed, smirking. "We have sudden realizations which lead to stubborn decisions. That how my species works."

"Well this is a pointless and stupid decision," Bilbo snapped, crossing his arms and scowling from his place beside Smaug.

Smaug continued smirking. "I'm flattered," he said, peeking out from under one eyelid to look at the little man. "Perhaps you could continue to try and persuade me," he said cheekily, baiting the small thing to bring up his reasons to live once more.

"Well sleep you can get whenever you want," Bilbo began, looking at the ceiling as he recalled what Smaug had expressed interest in. "You could get some more gold maybe, just not this much. Who needs this much anyway?" He fell silent as a blush crept onto his face again. He cast a nervous glance at Smaug, his face heating up at his next suggestion. "And....I'm sure there's many women out there willing to bed a man....like yourself."

Smaug grinned. While he obviously didn’t like this small man afraid for his life  due to his own presence, it was nice to see him squirm. "What if I enjoy the company of men?" He asked, putting a hand to his chest in mock offense. His nails were a dark red, longer than usual and slightly sharpened. They glinted in the little light there was.

"Oh..." Bilbo said, flushing darker. "Well in that case there are probably many willing men as well." The light on Smaug's claws caught his eye, but he quickly looked away again, trying to distract himself by staring at his feet instead. Good, just as hairy as usual. Not too much wear from the journey. Excellent.

Smaug thought a brilliant thought, and decided to verbalize it. "I have a thing for little men that are not dwarves," he whispered, fluttering his long eyelashes. "Can you think of any?"

If Bilbo was red before, it was hardly anything compared to now. A tomato had nothing on the deep blush on the hobbit's cheeks, and he was all too aware of it. He stared at his feet even more intently, though occasionally his eyes flickered to Smaug, who was suddenly sitting far too close. "I...er...not.... Well, I....em...." he stammered clumsily.

Smaug stifled his chuckles for barely a moment, before breaking into what were almost hysterical giggles. "Little one!" He exclaimed, taking deep breaths to calm himself. "Do not be so appalled please. I was only teasing." He chuckled again, shoving the hobbit’s shoulder with his own.

Bilbo eyed Smaug carefully, relaxing a bit as the man laughed. "Oh," he said stupidly as he righted himself after Smaug's strong push. "Er, right. Sorry..."

Smaug smiled, climbing lithely to his feet. "No need to apologize," he rumbled, grabbing the little wrist and bringing it up beside him before the hobbit could protest. "You are a source of great amusement to me little one," he stated, Dusting off quickly.

Bilbo wasn't sure how to feel about that. "Oh... Thank you?" he replied finally, glancing up at Smaug, who suddenly seemed much larger than he had when he was sitting.

Smaug snickered. He already had a plan, and he began walking down the corridor, long legs quickly gaining space between him and the hobbit. He stopped and turned around, putting his weight on his hip. "Hurry up little one," he called, "I don't have time for waiting."

Bilbo's eyebrows came together in confusion, but he obediently trotted along behind him. "Where exactly are we going?" he inquired delicately, looking around and wondering if following Smaug was the best idea.

Smaug smirked. He began to walk again. "If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise," he replied cryptically, looking down to watch the bobbing curls of the little creature. "But don't worry, I'm not going to consume you. Dragon’s honor."

"Surprise?" Bilbo repeated, still confused. Just moments ago Smaug had seemed ready to just give up on life. He wasn't sure how good the 'dragon's honor' thing was, but frowned and continued to follow him anyway.

Smaug raised a brow. "Dragons love surprises, didn't you know?" He grinned, running his hand along the corridor wall happily.

"I didn't," Bilbo replied, shaking his head. He looked around nervously. "But it's not really a surprise for you, is it?" He paused for a moment before hesitantly asking, "Why is there a 'surprise'?" He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Smaug chuckled, deep voice reverberating around the small confines. "It's a surprise because I know what's happening and you don't." He looked down, grinning.

"Yes....how long until I find out, exactly?" Bilbo was tempted to just stop following Smaug, but his un-hobbitlike curiosity got the best of him, as he followed along behind him.

Smaug pursed his lips. "Well, depends. Do you remember how long it took you to get to my cave from the entrance?" He looked down at the hobbit with his eyebrows raised, head slightly tilted.

Bilbo stopped suddenly. "Are you....going out there? Where all the dwarves are waiting?"

Smaug looked animatedly shocked. "Of course not," he said loudly, placing a clawed hand on his toned pale chest. He pursed his lips and shook his head. "Now you've ruined the surprise. I was escorting you to them, making sure no dragons got you." He snickered.

"One already seems to have," Bilbo replied cheekily. He watched Smaug with interest. He was quite different from the dragon just minutes ago ready to give up on life.

The dragon watched the hobbit in return. The brown eyes were intelligent and somehow caring, though the dragon had threatened his life multiple times. "I haven't got you permanently," he said, shaking his head again.

"Is that something dragons do, then? 'Permanently get' people?" Bilbo asked with a grin. He walked forward and passed the dragon, trying to recall which way he'd come in from.

Smaug put his hand out and caught the back of Bilbo’s jacket, spinning him and trapping his against the wall beneath his body. He let out a breath, watching it rustle the hobbit’s hair. "If they amuse us or pleasure us," he said thickly, smirking then pushing off the wall and beginning to walk again. He knew where he was going.

Bilbo took in a sharp breath at Smaug's sudden proximity. He shrank beneath the larger man, but then suddenly he was gone again, already walking ahead. Bilbo stepped away from the wall, a bit dazed, flushing as Smaug's words finally registered.

Smaug turned and looked over his shoulder, grinning at the color in the hobbits cheeks. "Come along little one, time is of the essence."

"Why?" Bilbo asked curiously, starting to follow him yet again. "They aren't going anywhere...."

Smaug sniffed. "Dragons aren't known for their patience little one," he explained, a soft heartened growl rumbling through his chest. "I do not wish to become annoyed with you."

Swallowing nervously, Bilbo quickened his footsteps when Smaug growled. "Okay, okay, goodness," he muttered, watching his feet as he walked. He certainly didn't wish to annoy a dragon, either.

Smaug chuckled again. "It won't take long now," he murmured to himself, inspecting his claws. The hobbit would be very important for the plan, the 'surprise', and the dragon needed to be steeled to follow through if he had to.

Bilbo picked up his pace, suddenly finding himself relieved that the exit was so close. He glanced at Smaug again, something nagging at him. He didn't quite believe that Smaug was giving him the whole truth, but he was too busy trying to recognize his surroundings to call him out on it.

Smaug took a deep breath as the exit approached, slowing down marginally so the hobbit was beside him. "I'm sorry," he hissed through his teeth, grabbing the creature by the shoulders and placing a sharp claw by his throat as he pushed him out into the night. The dragon held the smaller thing like a human shield, grinning like a predator. "Greetings dwarves," he said loudly to the encampment, keen eyes quickly taking in the surroundings. Immediately axes were drawn, and Smaug smiled slightly. All was on schedule.

Bilbo let out a yelp of surprise when Smaug snatched him closer, holding a threatening claw to his neck. He glowered at the way he was being used as a means of escape, but guessed he deserved it for being dumb enough to trust a dragon. He looked to his friends apologetically.

Smaugs eyes glinted as the dwarves came forward. He licked his teeth. "I'll make you a deal," he rumbled. "I know you want to kill me," he smiled at all of the little creatures, malice bubbling in his chest. "So I'll give you a win-win situation." He blinked slowly, taking a deep breath. "I'll let the hobbit go, if you promise to make it swift." He let out a tight breath. "What do you think?"

"What?! No!" Bilbo exclaimed, unable to stop himself. He twisted to look up at the dragon with narrowed, accusing eyes. "But you said!"

Smaug dug the nail in slightly, shaking his head. "You should never trust a dragon, hobbit," he replied solemnly, pressing the nail deeper, enough that it must hurt. The dragon looked up to the ensemble, tilting his head. "What do you say?" He asked again, ignoring the creature in his grasp.

The hobbit groaned in frustration, and a bit in pain as Smaug's nail dug into his throat. Bilbo started struggling, knowing—or rather, really, really hoping—that Smaug wouldn't actually hurt him.

Smaug let out a menacing growl. "Stop," he hissed, still looking at the crowd before him. Thorin stepped forward, axe raised, and the dragon tilted his head at him.

"What is your catch dragon?" The king rumbled, shoulders squared.

"There is none dwarf scum," the dragon replied, tightening his arms around the hobbit so struggling would be even harder.

Bilbo scowled, fuming but unable to move around much anymore. "So much for Smaug the Stupendous," he growled under his breath, so only the dragon could hear. "More like Smaug the Spineless." He knew egging the man on was really just a terrible, probably life-threatening decision, but he was angry that Smaug had been able to trick him so easily.

Smaugs gaze snapped down to look at the creature. "Excuse you?" He growled, dwarves forgotten as he was degraded. He tilted his head, like a hawk’s, and breathed a breath into his face.

Thorin let out a noise. "Watch your words Bilbo," he said slowly, and a small chorus of agreement came from the rest.

Smaug was fuming. "You have no right," he hissed, grip on the creature tightening. "You are going to live, the dwarves will be happy," he curled his lips. "I am facing death. I am not spineless." His words were venomous, and the dragon was sure his lips were burning because of it. Or maybe it was because his chest was glowing molten, and his spittle was almost boiling.

Bilbo arched away from the growing heat behind him anxiously. He was nervous—terrified really—but if Smaug's pride was the only way to get through to him, then so be it. "You could just leave," he hissed, squeezing his eyes shut as he feigned bravery and ignored everyone's warnings. "You don't have to get yourself killed. That's a coward's way out, letting yourself die."

Smaug growled again. "Where would I go? Hmm? Stop questioning and shut your mouth!" His breath was coming in pants, and the dragon was sure he could feel a vein pulsing on his forehead. "Don't you understand? This is the best course of action! There is nothing for me to live for!"

The dwarves on their part were being rather courteous, seeing as they were so dumbstruck by Bilbo’s reasoning with the dragon and the fact that the dragon was a man, they weren't speaking at all.

"I don't know!" Bilbo replied, suddenly at a loss. Where could a dragon go? Nervously, as though suddenly realizing the danger he was in, Bilbo just said the first thing that popped into his head: "Find your Shire!"

Smaug squinted at the creature. "You're an idiot," he said exasperated. "Dragons do not have Shires, whatever that means." He huffed. "Let me repeat to you. Nothing to live for hobbit." He rolled his eyes, growing impatient.

"The Shire is where I belong; it's my home, where I love to be, and where all my friends and loved ones are," Bilbo explained, looking up at Smaug, meeting his eyes with a hopeful gaze. "Find that. Find a place like that for you."

Smaug almost groaned. "I do not possess loved ones," he said tiredly, blinking slowly. His gold irises stood out against the night, and they looked eternally sad. "I'm sorry little one." This time his tone was touched with an amount of emotion. The dragon shoved the hobbit away from him, quickly moving to a kneeling position in front of the king. "Do it quickly," he almost begged, looking over his shoulder to see the hobbit one more time.

"Oh, for the love of..." Bilbo muttered. He'd managed to save himself from falling over, but he shrugged out from underneath the hands of several dwarves trying to comfort him. He faced the dragon with crossed arms. "Come with me," he suggested suddenly, without thinking.

Smaug grunted. Bloody dwarves and the fact that they were terrible at even killing a creature that was sitting before them. At the stormy look in the hobbit’s eyes, he growled under his breath. "Hold that axe," he snapped towards the king, malice touching his voice. If he had just done it when he was asked. Smaug stood slowly, huffed and grumbling like a small child not getting sweets. "Why won't you let me die," he snapped, following after the little thing.

Bilbo, to his credit, remained unflinching even as an irate Smaug approached him. "Because you're being a drama queen. Nothing to live for, my arse," he grumbled. He was probably going to regret this later, but in his stubbornness, he couldn't help himself. "Come with me," he repeated. "To the Shire."

Smaugs eyes flashed. "What?" He asked lamely, not completely comprehending. "Come with you... To your home with other little hobbits?" He shook his head, blowing a little bit of steam out of his nose. "They won't allow it."

"Not if they know you're a dragon," Bilbo admitted. "But, if they thought you were just a man...."

Smaug turned on his side, exposing the scales that melted into skin. He grinned, showing his sharpened teeth, and then drew a claw down the side of Bilbos face. "They'll think I'm perfectly normal," he said, sarcasm dripping off every word.

Smaug's long claw trailed down his cheek, making him shiver a bit. Bilbo rolled his eyes, growing braver. "That's what clothes are for, you git."

Though Smaug still felt his death was imminent, he allowed himself the next sentence with glee. "If you can't tell, I don't like clothes." He glanced down towards the cloth covering his lower, grinning wickedly. "And I'm not wearing gloves all the time either."

"Then just stay inside all day, I don't know!" Bilbo exclaimed, throwing up his arms in exasperation. This dragon would just not make anything easy for him!

Smaug felt himself gaining leeway, and he smirked. "As a dragon who has lived in a cave for a long time, I can say that staying inside without gold would be seriously unfulfilling." He shrugged, as if he couldn't do anything about it, which was kinda true.

"I have some valuables. Heirlooms." Bilbo made a face. "And I assure you, Bag End is far nicer than that dank do cave. Oh...no offense, Thorin," he added in embarrassment.

The king was gaping silently, and didn't take offense. Was the little hobbit finally mad?

Smaug rolled his eyes, finally letting his smirk drop into a sad smile. "I thank you for trying little one," he said, placing a warm hand the creatures shoulder. "But you and I both know that you are fighting a losing battle." He closed his eyes briefly, before turning back to Thorin.

"Fine!" Bilbo snapped, turning away from the dragon with crossed arms. "If you're afraid of a bunch of of hobbits, I guess there's not much I can do. Good luck with your cowardly decision, then."

Thorin could see the last nerve snap in the dragon. It was rather obvious, the way his eyes burst into flame and his chest glow molten red. "Right," he hissed, turning back to the hobbit and walking until he was in the little things space and not stopping. He moved the creature with his body and presence until it was backed up against the wall. "Say that again," he growled, bending down so his teeth were right by the hobbit’s earlobe.

"No, I understand. Hobbits can be pretty in-intimidating," Bilbo went on, his voice cracking a bit as he was forced up against the wall, wondering if he'd gone too far.

The dragon chuckled, his overly warm breath swimming around the pair of them, creating steam. "As intimidating as a dragon?" He asked teeth trailing down the hobbits jaw en route to his throat. He was bent over a great deal, seeing as the height difference was so much, and he placed his hands either side of the little thing, so he didn't over balance.

Bilbo shrank against the stone and squeezed his eyes shut. Yes. Yes, he had probably gone too far. Well he'd already made it this far; why not push his luck? "Maybe," he gasped as he felt Smaug heading toward his neck. "But I guess you're too.... scared to find out."

The teeth nipped at the skin just between the head and neck. It left a little red patch, and Smaug let out a huge growl rumble from his chest. "Too scared?" He asked, amused. "If anyone is scared, it is you hobbit." His tongue darted out, tasting the skin. He hummed, though let out a hiss after, to keep his image.

Bilbo didn't answer—he wasn't sure if he could. He swallowed nervously at the teeth against his skin, and then Smaug's tongue. He stared at the dragon incredulously. "W-what are you doing?" he breathed after a moment.

Smaug paused, pulling back and huffing. "Damn you hobbit I am trying to be intimidating!" He growled, and he fluttered his thick eyelashes furiously. He put his face right in the creatures space, gold eyes right brown. "Is it working?"

"Nope," he lied, trying to stand up straighter and meeting Smaug's steady gaze.

Smaug pressed even closer, showing his teeth and hissing steam into the face before him. "What about now?"

"A little better," Bilbo squeaked, cowering into the stone and closing his eyes again under Smaug's intense stare. He cursed the fact that his voice betrayed his fear, and bit his lip almost painfully.

Smaug blinked slowly, the hobbit looked terrified. Feeling pleased, he pulled back, leaning down and looking at the creature with a level gaze now. "Hobbit," the dragon stated, in a tone that demanded attention. "I do not understand your affinity with wanting to keep me alive. Why do you work so hard to do so?" He cocked his head, breaths now slow and even.

Bilbo could breathe more easily now that Smaug was giving him some space. He looked up at him warily. "I don't know," he admitted quietly. "I just...don't want that."

Smaug huffed slightly. "And you won't let me do it without causing me to believe I'm being cowardly?" He asked, demeanor the polar opposite to how it had been a few moments before. It was almost... Tired.

"It is cowardly," Bilbo insisted, crossing his arms.

Smaug huffed steam onto the little creature, rolling his eyes. "And you realize the only way you'll stop me doing this is if I come back to your Shire thing, and live with you. I, a dragon, living with a hobbit..."

Did that mean he would agree? The thought of the dragon was....well, it had Bilbo grinning like an idiot and stifling chuckles. "So you will?" Bilbo asked, trying not to sound too hopeful as he glanced up at Smaug.

Smaug sighed. He didn't like submitting and folding to a hobbit no less, but he didn't want to die like a coward, and the creature didn't plan on letting him do so.  "If your dwarf friends agree to let me live, and only if you can convince them, will I agree."

Bilbo paled. He'd forgotten about the dwarves. Worse than that, they'd been watching their interaction. He flushed now, not wanting to face them. "Couldn't....we just go?" he whispered to Smaug, so the dwarves wouldn't hear.

"And how would we do that?" The dragon chuckled. "Would I change into full form and terrorize every town I fly over with just my presence? Or would I jump off the mountain with you in my arms and try and outrun the pack mules?" He shook his head. "Think of something little one, or face them."

Swallowing and straightening to look taller, Bilbo stepped around Smaug to face Thorin. He clasped his hands behind his back and tried to look confident. "Thorin, I'd like to take Smaug back to The Shire." He wracked his brain trying to think of any sane reasoning, but couldn't come up with anything good. "For...to....punish.....him...." He winced at his choice of explanation, but figured it would have to do.

Smaug raised an eyebrow, and decided to go with it.

Thorin laughed haughtily. "You are a terrible liar Bilbo. The way you shuddered under his touch. It is obvious you are under the dragon’s spell." Smaug shrugged, well that was that ruined.

"What?!" Bilbo demanded, face flushing and dignity wounded. "I- I am not! He just...I mean, he was this close! He was trying to intimidate me!"

There was a murmur through the company of dwarves. Thorin raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "That is not what it looked like to me." He looked around to the men behind him. "To us."

Smaug snickered loudly, and the king’s gaze snapped to him.

"If you were bringing him back to 'punish' him," the dwarf rumbled, "why is he not trying to escape?

Bilbo was scarlet as he tried to stand tall and collect what was left of his dignity. "Well, he did just offer to let you kill him," Bilbo pointed out. "He, ah, probably thinks that's a more merciful escape than what a hobbit'll do to him. Because he does quite—" he turned around to narrow his eyes at Smaug "—seem to be afraid of living with one.

Smaug let out a small growl, but it didn’t have too much conviction.

Thorin narrowed his eyes. From behind him, Ori yelled out. "That's flirting if I ever saw it!" The was a collective chuckle from the dwarves, and Smaug snickered along with them.

Bilbo threw his hands up in the air and started to stomp away, bright red as he growled "Dwarves!" in frustration.

Smaug rolled his eyes, letting the hobbit sulk. He eyed the brunette dwarf that spoke out, and grinned at him. "Youngling," he greeted it, and tilted his head, "Do you agree with me coming to the Shire with him?" He asked. Ori shrugged.

"I don't care, as long as you don't kill him." There was a small amount of collective agreement, and Smaug smiled slightly.

Bilbo glared at the lot of them, suddenly having second thoughts in his embarrassed irritation. "Shut up, Smaug," he snapped sharply, crossing his arms like a child throwing a tantrum.

Smaug grinned wickedly. "Wait... You don't want me to tell them what we did in the cave?" He wrung his hands slightly, looking over the dwarves. Ori wolf whistled, and Bofur started clapping.

"We did nothing in the cave!" Bilbo growled, his face turning even redder. "Though I recall you scrambling around like an idiot and being scared by a damned ring! And trying to cuddle with me after!"

Smaug looked unfazed, though the glow in his chest rose slightly. "I was in the body of a child, of course I was frightened." He smiled dangerously. "You, on the other hand, have no excuse." He mimicked the hobbit, crossing his arms over his chest.

Bilbo stared at him, mouth gaping. "You're a dragon! You were running at me like something possessed! A dragon coming at you like that—no matter the size—is definitely grounds for terror! Especially for a hobbit!" He glowered at everyone around him, dragon or dwarf. (But mostly dragon.) "You know what? Fine. All of you; go do whatever you want. I'll be going—" He stopped with a frown, before deciding to just go back into the mountain, "—somewhere." He marched forward irately, fully intending on  going back in the way he'd come out.

"Bilbo..." one of the dwarves called almost—almost—apologetically, and a firm hand reached out to stop him.

Smaug rolled his eyes again. "Let him run," he growled, but it wasn’t an angry growl, it was pleased. He turned to Thorin. "Then you can do the deed." His eyes glinted. The hobbit would either choose to stay mad and let him die, or stay and sulk but let him live.

Bilbo groaned loudly. He saw what Smaug was doing, but even if he was angry, he couldn't just stand by and watch him die. "Good grief," he muttered, turning on his heel to sulk back over to the dragon.

Smaug fluttered his eyelashes at the hobbit. "I knew you cared," he purred, and Ori broke down into hysterical giggles. How often did you get to see a friend of yours get almost creepily hit on by the dragon under the mountain?

Bilbo glared in the direction of the laughter for a moment before turning back to Smaug with a grimace, his cheeks flushing. "Shuttup."

Ori covered his mouth, along deep breaths in through his nose. There was a muffled 'sorry', from behind it.

Smaug smiled slightly. Maybe not all dwarves were bad. The dragon turned to the king. "What do you say?" He asked. "You let me leave with the hobbit, and you get your mountain."

Bilbo rolled his eyes. Oh, now Smaug was perfectly willing to leave. He turned around to face Thorin reluctantly, forcing himself to meet the dwarf's eyes.

The king stood very still for a moment. He looked very serious. "Take that out of my sight Bilbo Baggins," he said quickly. "And don't expect to talk to us again with him alive." The dwarf was completely serious. "I apologize, but you know what he did to us." The king nodded tightly to the pair, heading into the mountain without further hesitation.

Smaug felt a grudging sort of respect for the dwarf. He would have done the same. The dragon looked at the hobbit.

Bilbo paled, but gave a stiff nod. He kept up appearances until Thorin had gone, and once he had, Bilbo let his shoulders sag in defeat. He glanced up at Smaug. "Come on then," he said quietly, turning toward where they'd climbed up the side of the mountain.

The small noises coming from the crowd did not have enough conviction in them to cause the pair to stop. Smaug followed the little hobbit down the hill, slightly sad, until the rest were out of earshot. "Bilbo Baggins," he said slowly, trying the name out. "Interesting."

"What?" Bilbo asked, pausing. He realized that he'd never actually given Smaug his name, and shrugged before continuing on his way. "Oh. Yes. That's my name," he clarified, although he supposed that Smaug already guessed that.

Smaug snickered. "Biiiiiilbo," he drew out slowly in his baritone. He chuckled. "I suppose I'm not allowed to call you Bill..." He said slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Bilbo flashed a scowl at the dragon. "No," he snapped. "Definitely not."

"Not even if your life depended on it?" The dragon pursed his lips. "Say, I have two seconds to inform you of an impending arrow, and I can use the first second to warn you calling Bill, or the two seconds saying Bilbo, and that would give you less time to escape. What about in a situation like that?"

Bilbo rolled his eyes. "If I ever find myself in a situation like that, I suppose I won't be worrying much about what you're calling me." He glanced back at the dragon. "Now hurry up, we've got a very long walk ahead of us."

Smaug grumbled slightly at being chided. "I could fly," he offered, even though he knew that was a terrible idea. "I could run with you on my back. I haven't stretched my legs this much in about fifty years." As if to punctuate his sentence, the dragons toe got caught on a rock and he stumbled.

Bilbo burst out laughing, feeling a bit better now that he was grinning. "I can see that!" he chortled, for some reason finding Smaug's clumsiness highly amusing.

Smaug immediately composed himself. "I did that so you would smile," he retorted quickly, but then realized that might also have been the wrong thing to say. "I mean, you looked really annoyed and-" he cut off, stopping and scratching his head. "I meant to trip." He ended lamely

"Suuure you did," Bilbo replied, quite obviously not believing him at all. He shrugged. "Guess you just need practice. A lot more practice," he finished with a smirk.

Smaug let out an annoyed growl, deciding that what he planned to do was completely validated. He leapt forward, grabbing the little thing and throwing him over his shoulder. "I'm not that bad," he said over his shoulder to Bilbo.

"Hey!" Bilbo shouted as he was thrown over Smaug's shoulder. He glared at him again, although the dragon couldn't see his glower. "Put me down!" He commanded. "There's no need for you to break the both of us when you trip again."

Smaug feigned tripping for a moment, grinning wickedly to himself. "I won't trip," he reassured, faking again. He huffed dramatically. "You're so little, really, I'm the one going to protecting us for this trip aren't I."

"Put me down before you kill the both of us!" Bilbo demanded, ignoring the jab and starting to wiggle around in an attempt to get loose. "I can walk just fine! Better than you, apparently."

Smaugs tone raised. "I mean the monsters!" He replied, tightening his grip on the body over his shoulder. "I'll be the one defending us."

"No you won't, I've got—" he reached to his side for his weapon, but his hand only found fabric. "—Sting!" he finished with a groan as he struggled to right himself, realizing he must have left the tiny sword behind.

Smaug shrugged. "See? You're forgetful too. You're lucky you decided to be stubborn and annoying." He smirked to himself, contemplating transfiguring shoes from something for himself.

"You're lucky!" Bilbo snapped, smacking Smaug's back with an unhappy fist. "You'd be dead if it weren't for me, you damn dragon! And you're far more stubborn and annoying than I am!"

The slap on his back made him laugh, and he ignored the little creature instead of retaliating. "Shhh Bilbo," he said quietly. "I haven't heard the mountain sing for years." He cocked his head, listening to the air race around the landscape, smiling as it tousled his hair.

Bilbo groaned like an irritable teenager and slumped against Smaug's back in defeat. "Mountains don't sing," he pouted under his breath.

Smaug curled his lip. "Mountains do sing, if you just listen," he replied indignantly. "I've been in a cave for years. My ears are extra sensitive."

Bilbo just sighed and let Smaug listen to his damn singing mountain. "Now put me down," he demanded after a few minutes. "You don't even know where we're going."

Smaug chuckled. "Of course I know where I'm going. We're going to the Shire." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yes?" Bilbo asked, raising his eyebrows. He tried to prop himself up to look over his shoulder at Smaug, but he swayed a little with each of his steps. "And do you know where that is?"

Smaugs steps faltered slightly at that. He shrugged, pleased that the movement probably caused Bilbo discomfort. "I'll ask directions," he replied plainly.

"No one is going to know where the Shire is, not from here," Bilbo argued. He paused for a moment as he contemplated that maybe he didn't even know his way back from here. Shrugging it off, Bilbo pushed at Smaug's back to straighten himself out and attempted to wiggle his way out of the dragon's hold on him.

Smaug let out a puff of steam. "I'll fly high up into the air with you on my back, so no one can see us, and then you can point it out, and we can fly the way you came." He tightened his grip even further, quite roughly for a second. A warning to the hobbit.

"You'd have to turn back into a dragon to fly," Bilbo pointed out with a frown, looking down and kicking his legs to test Smaug's give. There wasn't much. "And you'll still have to put me down first," he added as an afterthought.

"Yes obviously I'd have to turn into a dragon," the dragon said. "And I'll put you down to do so, only then to pick you up again." Smaug said skirting around a rock. "But I need to know that's the plan first.

Bilbo hummed disapprovingly. "Even if you did, I don't think you could carry me very far," Bilbo pointed out doubtfully, recalling the relatively small dragon he'd first met. "Maybe for a while, but certainly not the whole way there."

Smaug barked a laugh. "Bilbo, I was in drakeling form in the cave. My adult form would carry you easily because you'd be the size of one tooth."

Bilbo paled. He looked down at himself, trying to imagine how large that would make the rest of the dragon.  He started shaking his head, refusing to believe it. "No...you can't possibly have been that large.... The drakeling form wasn't that big—there's no way you would have grown that large!" He was in denial.

"Little one," the dragon said seriously, "You live in a world where elves shoot bows and mud turns into living creatures. I don't think that a large dragon would be too hard to comprehend." He smirked. "Maybe the size of a back scale," he amended.

"Then....maybe you won't fit in Bag End...." Bilbo laughed nervously, suddenly wondering what he would do with Smaug once he got home. "You can just....stay like this, right? You don't have to be a gigantic dragon again, do you?"

Smaug shrugged. "I can, but I slowly feel more and more cramped. To stay comfortable I'd have to change every once and a while." He shifted the hobbit on his shoulder slightly, kicking a rock with his bare foot. "So are we scouting or are you afraid of heights?"

"Fine," Bilbo finally gave in, unable to think of a better alternative. "But don't go around scaring people! We'll have to fly high.... And don't drop me!"

Smaug put his arm up to wrap it around Bilbo’s back, swinging him down so he was cradled against Smaug’s chest like a baby. He grinned down at him. "I wouldn't dare." He placed the hobbit on the ground, rolling his shoulders and taking a few deep breaths. "I wouldn't want a little hobbit ghost haunting me for the rest of my days."

Bilbo rolled his eyes at Smaug's theatricality, but cooperated until he was placed on the ground. "I would, too," he threatened playfully. "I'd make your life miserable."

"You already do," the dragon teased. He looked at the space between the pair of them. "I would recommend that you move to that boulder." He pointed to a boulder that was rather a way away. "You're standing far too close."

Bilbo was ready to snap a retort about the first comment when Smaug went on to the second. Swallowing nervously, Bilbo backed up to where he had pointed, not very enthusiastic about what was coming next.

Smaug waited patiently until the hobbit was where he had instructed. It probably was a little further than needed, but the dragon couldn't risk the hobbit being too close.  He took a deep breath, and let the magic seep through his body, twisting and growing his bones, morphing his skin. It should have been extremely painful, but the magic numbed him. It took about ten seconds to get to full size, and when he was in his true form, the dragon was still on his hind legs. He fell forward, landing on his winged hands with the scrabbling and the crushing of rocks beneath his feet. He let out a huge breath, and it was filled with smoke. He blinked a huge gold eye, gaze focusing immediately on the hobbit. "Bilbo," he said, voice vibrating out of his throat with a huge rumble. "You look like you're about to faint."

"I....I might," the tiny hobbit admitted in a faint voice. Smaug's voice seemed to make the air around them hum and shake as he spoke in an impossibly low baritone. Bilbo stared up at Smaug, having to crane his neck to meet his stare. His knees wobbled and instinct told him to run, but he forced himself to stay, unsure how much longer his legs would be able to hold him. "You, ah, weren't lying about the size," Bilbo replied, his voice coming out like a squeak. He cleared his throat with a nervous cough.

The dragon took a small step forward, claws causing the stones around it to give hugely, creating a huge scraping noise. "Do not be afraid little one," the dragon assured, lowering his head until his chin was on the ground. He turned his head slightly, taking a small breath in, and the smell of hobbit was a lot stronger. "I won't bite." Smaug chuckled lowly, eye blinking at a terribly slow pace. Everything seemed more defined, and the colors more bright. Bilbo looked very little, even smaller than before.

Bilbo fought the urge to recoil away from Smaug as he lowered his head. "I—I guess I'll just have to believe you then....because there's not much I could do about it anyway...." He let out a strangled laugh as he joked about his own death, staring up at Smaug's enormous mouth with huge, round eyes.

  
Smaug let his tongue escape his mouth, tasting the clean air. It was amazing. The dragon hummed, sitting up to be on his haunches as he looked around. He looked down at the hobbit, wings twitching. There is so much space to fly here, the dragon thought, and sat up to spread his  wings on an impulse. He froze in a position of one about to take flight, but the less animalistic part of his mind remembering the little creature the size of one of the spines on his back. He tilted his head. "Want to fly hobbit?" He asked, an amused lilt to his tone.


	2. Travelling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry they're all different lengths and are still quite long, hope it isn't bad xx

"Not particularly," he admitted hesitantly. "But....I haven't got much choice, have I?" Honestly, he didn't want to go anywhere near the dragon. He was fighting his instinct to run from Smaug just from being so close; how could he possibly get closer? And most importantly—could he trust Smaug not to eat him?

Smaug stretched his long neck until his head was by the ground. "Crawl upon my head and hide behind my head spines. If you do not you'll probably fall off." A sharp laugh reverberated out of his nose. "Do not try to hurry, though, we have forever." The hobbit was taking his merry old time.

Bilbo squeezed his eyes shut, deciding to just get it over with, and forced himself to stride forward. With shaking hands and a racing pulse, Bilbo began to climb up onto the back of Smaug's neck. He settled himself just behind the large spines after a laborious climb, and waited. "Now what?" He asked breathily.

Smaug grinned, and his legs tensed, he pushed off with a mighty flap of his wings. It caused the dust around them to spread out like a circle. The ground beneath his feet, and it took two gusts from his wings before they were completely airborne. It didn't take very long until the dragon believed they were high enough, and his thoughts sung as his lungs filled the clean air, and the fact that he could fly around in his full form. He crowed, a spurt of flame escaping his mouth. "Now," he said loudly, "Hang on!"

Bilbo's surprised cries were lost in the wind, torn from his mouth in the gusts as Smaug flew, fast and energetic. He clutched onto the spike in front of him, glad that he'd chosen to sit between two as the force of the motion pushed him backward. "What?!" he cried out when Smaug told him to hold on. He already was holding on; he wasn't sure he could hold on any tighter!

The dragon laughed merrily, tucking his wings to himself. It caused them to lose altitude quickly as he dived, and the dragon roared. It echoed through the mountains, and many-a-creature hid, though the roar was not menacing. "I have not flown in these skies for years!" The dragon said loudly, untucking his wings and causing an abrupt stop to their descent. Sure, the last time he had flown these skies he'd been burning and killing, but that was a long time ago. He spun in suspension for a moment, slowly gaining altitude with steady beats of his wings.

Meanwhile, the poor hobbit was clinging for dear life on the spikes on the dragon's neck. He had given up on screaming after Smaug's gleeful roars had drowned him out, and now sat rigidly against his scales, an unhealthy shade of white.

Smaug almost tilted his head, before realizing that the hobbit was still there. "Did you die?" He rumbled, watching the scenery and humming.

"I haven't decided yet," Bilbo replied shakily, still pale.

Smaug chuckled, keeping himself as still in the air as possible. "While deciding, see if you can point out where we should head." He rotated slowly in a circle, wing beats steady.

Bilbo turned his head around to look, trying to make out familiar landmarks from this high up. He thought for a moment. "I think that way," he announced, pointing in the direction he remembered coming.

Smaug grumbled in acknowledgment, beating his wings for a final two times before actually changing the way he flapped and pushed himself forward. He went the way they came, but he made sure to move up into  the atmosphere a little more. He didn't go too far though, because the hobbit needed oxygen a little more than him.

The air was far lighter up here, and the combination of lack of oxygen and adrenaline made Bilbo lightheaded. They were moving very swiftly, and Bilbo guessed that they'd be able to make it back to the Shire within the day.

Smaug was feeling elated. It was wonderful, up here, away from everything. His lungs were full of the crisp clean air, and the dragon crowed to himself once more. He looked down, sharp eyes honing in on where they were. Over the woodland realm. He dropped in altitude slightly, to examine it, when he saw some elves on the ground yelling and pointing to one another as they looked up. "That's not good," he stated, hawk like gaze watching them collect their ranks.

"Smaug!" Bilbo cried in alarm. His eyesight wasn't as good as the dragons, so he wasn't up to date yet. "What's not good?!"

Smaug tilted his head slightly. He was tempted to fly above the clouds, but it would be too cold for the little hobbit, and there would not be enough oxygen. "The elves do not like the look of dragon," he rumbled, trying to think of what he could do. There was a slim chance that any of the arrows would actually hit him, but that slim chance was making him slightly worried for his rider.

"Smaug!" Bilbo scolded, "You were supposed to avoid being seen by anybody!" Great, just great. "Elves are excellent shots, you know," he informed the dragon tersely. "So you'd better be really good at dodging arrows, or fly out of range."

Smaug let himself chuckle. "I can't fly too high, for you wouldn't be able to breathe little one." He sped his wing beats, hoping to get out of range as soon as possible. But underneath he could see the elves working quickly. He wanted to swoop down and burn the threat, but he couldn't.

Bilbo groaned. So far, today was just one deadly situation after another. He wasn't sure how much more of this a little hobbit could take. "So.... Do you think you can put some distance between us before they attack?"

"I'm trying," the dragon growled through heavy breaths. So, he was a little unfit, it was understandable, he'd been under the mountain for more than a few years. The dragon was so set on flying quickly he took his eyes off the ground, and the first volley of arrows bounced off his stomach. He let out a surprised squawk. "Well," he said slowly, pleased that the weapons just bounced off of him.

Bilbo let out a cry of alarm as he cowered into Smaug's scales. A few stray arrows whizzed past the dragon's side—far enough away that they posed no threat to the hobbit, but still making him tighten his grip in fear. "Smaug!" Bilbo whined fearfully, trying to make himself as absolutely tiny as possible.

"Do not worry," the dragon reassured, left ear flicking slightly, "My hide is like armo-" he cut off as the huge black arrow flew through the air, directly towards the chink in the so-called 'armor'. And he had been too slow seeing it. He screeched, trying to dodge it, but it embedded itself into his chest, and Smaug let out a roar. The dragon began to fall, head reeling from the sudden pain. All he knew is that he couldn't fall by the elves, and he needed to not land on the hobbit. He beat his wings in the longest strokes possible a few more moments, pushing himself forward for as far as he could, before the pain was searing through him and it was too hard to keep going. He dropped, slowly at first, his wings beats slowing his descent as he curled up around the arrow, trying to snap at it and pull it out. His mind was only thinking of one thing. 'I'm probably going to die'. But he couldn't do that. As the ground approached rapidly he decided that he wouldn't let the hobbit die. If they both survived the landing he would try and make it. He spread his wings out, clawed hands at the ends tensing as he whined like a  child. He hit the ground with a crash, the position he landed in causing the arrow to get pushed in deeper, but he managed to stay on his feet, for two seconds, and as soon as he was sure that Bilbo was still in place, he fell on his side, breathing heavily as a pool of deep red started to form.

"Smaug!" Bilbo shouted in alarm as he scrambled to his feet. The hard fall had dazed him, but he'd been safe between the dragon's spikes. He ran around to the front of the unmoving dragon—quite a distance for the tiny hobbit—and skidded to a halt when he saw blood. "Smaug?" he asked in a softer, yet more frantic voice, running toward the source of the blood.

Smaug let out a groan. He found the strength in his arm to grab the huge arrow and pull it out. The pain was excruciating, but it cooled to a burning ache as the blood seeped out of the open wound. He curled out, gasping for breath. It was like he could feel some sort of thick liquid seeping through his body. "I think it had poison on it," he said quietly, his form changing quickly and becoming smaller. His scales morphed and when his hair came to be it sat plastered to his scalp. Despite the change the gaping wound stayed, it was just below his ribs on the left side. Curled up in the fetal position, he groaned loudly. The burning was slowly increasing and spreading around his body.

Bilbo stared at him in panic, to stricken to know what to do or how to help. Suddenly his body went on autopilot, and he flung off his coat, using it to put pressure on Smaug's smaller and now much more manageable injury. "Shh, Smaug, it's alright. I....I'm doing what I can," he tried to sooth the dragon as he pressed his coat to his wound. Bilbo wracked his brain. Poison? If it was poisoned, he would need.....herbs, certainly. But what kind?

The dragon hissed through his teeth at the pressure on his wound, gold eyes foggy. "Try fireweed," he chuckled, head rolling as his voice rolled into a groan. "It will help my systems magic fight the poison." He gave a breathy chuckle. "It's flower looks like a flame funnily enou-" the dragon curled up even tighter with a groan as the pain spiked.

"Here, hold this," Bilbo instructed, placing Smaug's hands on his coat. "Keep it pressed down—I don't care how much it hurts." With that, the hobbit leapt to his feet and sprinted away, looking for the fireweed. He needed to find it quickly. They needed to move. It was only a matter of time until the elves found them, and although Smaug was human at the moment, the huge amount of destruction the fall had caused as well as the 'coincidental' injury placement was bound to draw the elves' attention to the fact that he was the dragon they'd shot down.

Smaug pressed the coat down for a moment, but as soon as the hobbit was out of sight, he removed the pressure. After all, he could try and stem the bleeding with magic. He sat there, eyes screwed shut, sending wave after wave of magic to fight off the infection already starting and the poison already present. It seemed like it wasn't enough, and his gasps couldn't bring the air as much a he needed it. Typical. As soon as he decides to live he is sentenced to die.

After several minutes of searching—which felt much longer—Bilbo finally found a small patch of the herb. He snatched up as much as he could before running back to Smaug. He narrowed his eyes, seeing that he'd removed the coat, but figured he could scold him for it later. When he wasn't dying. "Do I need to mash it up first, like a poultice?" he demanded, reaching down to press his coat back on the wound. He was remaining remarkably calm under the pressure.

Smaug shook his head, whole body shaking now as the elven poison took hold. His face was deathly pale, and his face was covered in a layer of sweat. He opened his mouth, a sharp growl escaping as he waiting for the plant, canines impossibly sharp.

Bilbo, assuming that the plant had to be ingested, leaned over Smaug and held them near his mouth, keeping his arm pressed firmly on the wound. "C'mon, Smaug," he insisted, willing the dragon to cooperate for once. "I've got it, I have the fireweed."

"I am, put the bloody thing in my mouth," he spat viciously, opening his mouth once more so Bilbo could put the weed in. His shook violently, back spasming in a different pattern to his legs. His torso was too tense to actually move, and a dark purple color was spreading outwards from the wound.

Bilbo let him take the plant and watched him chew and swallow until he was satisfied. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked softly, looking down to check the wound underneath his hand. The majority of the bleeding had stopped, and now he was just waiting, watching and hoping for the purple color to recede.

Smaugs face screwed up, the fireweed burning his throat on the way down. It settled in his stomach, causing his chest to glow and flare as the fire started. His eyes opened, and they golden color was molten and crazed. "Two seconds," he choked out, closing his eyes and concentrating on the poison in his system. The glow in his chest seemed to rise to the surface, and travel down to the gaping wound. It seemed to dance with the poison for a few moments, and the gold won, suppressing the purple and then fading. "Yeah," he gasped, eyes opening just a the molten glow faded. "I think I'll live."

Bilbo sat in confusion and awe as he watched the herbs do their work, glowing a hot gold until finally burning out when it's work was done. Bilbo looked at Smaug's face in concern. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. "We need to move you. The elves will come looking, and even though you're human, I think they'll put two and two together." The hobbit swung Smaug's arm around himself and stood, trying to hoist the dragon to its feet.

Smaug grunted as he was moved, and let a hiss out through his teeth. "Just... Give me a minute," he spat, pulling away from the hobbit and letting himself fall back to the ground. He sat for a moment, glaring at the ground as his wound was aggravated. He took a few deep breaths, letting his magic take the last dregs of herb to try and patch the wound together, and remove the aches from his bones.

"Smaug, we need to move. Come on, now, up you get," Bilbo insisted, tugging Smaug back to his feet—a difficult task for a hobbit nearly half the size of the dragon.

Smaug admired the hobbit for his perseverance, but was still annoyed. "I don't want to!" He snapped, sharpened canines clicking together right by the hobbits face. "Everything hurts," he whined, the tone sounding weird in his deep voice, leaning almost all of his weight on the little creature.

Bilbo had to brace his legs apart and use his arms and shoulders to keep Smaug from toppling over and crushing him. "Smaug," he hissed under the weight, "at least TRY! We HAVE to go, now get moving you great lump!"

A small stream of steam exited his mouth. "I'm not a lump," the dragon growled, but put some weight on his own legs. "Why don't we just hide in the bushes?" Smaugs mind was slightly foggy, and after affect of using so much magic, and the words were slurred. "I'm tired." He stated, stumbling forward slightly but not falling because of the hobbit.

Bilbo gritted his teeth with the effort of keeping Smaug upright. Was he even trying? "They'll look in the bushes, you idiot, now hurry up!"

The dragon groaned. "Stop nagging!" He spat, standing upright for two seconds and shaking his head before leaning on his companion again. "Where too Oh Bilbo the Tremendous," he asked, words slurred as he tried to walk in a direction away from where he had landed because that's what he wanted right?

Bilbo rolled his eyes, and continued to urge Smaug forward. "Do you know how long it'll take you to heal completely?" he asked gently. "Can you transform again later, or will we be walking?"

Smaug rolled his head to look down at the hobbit. "I'd be perfectly capable switching now," he stated, and to punctuate the sentence, a small pair of horns poked out from Smaugs hair. "I am completely fine!"

Bilbo stared at Smaug, uncertain if he had done it on purpose or not. "D'you know, you've got—" he gestured to his head where the horns would be. Then he decided to forget it in favor of making Smaug walk further. "Come on, we'll worry about that later. For now, let's just get out of here."

Smaug nodded. "I put the horns there." He sniffed, vision clouding for a second. "Right, okay, we'll sort this out later." He started walking, and, after deciding he was fine to walk, pushed himself away from the hobbit and started walking himself. It was a slow, lithe movement, and the dragon was sure he'd trip any moment, but that didn’t matter. He didn’t want to be coddled

"Smaug, there's no harm in accepting help when you need it," Bilbo said with a frown, hurrying to resume his place by Smaug's side as a living cane.

"I am King Under the Mountain little one," Smaug rumbled, though he put his hand out to touch Bilbo’s shoulder. "I do not need help. You've already done enough." He smiled slightly, pleased that his head was clearing slightly, though it did mean he could feel his wound more, which made him grimace.

"Not anymore, you aren't," Bilbo grumbled, but remained in place and steady for Smaug to lean on.

The dragon let out a small growl. "Shut up," he snapped, blinking quickly as the rest of his mind cleared up. He looked down at the puncture wound, and winced at the sight of it. "Bloody elves," he hissed, sending some magic down to try and knit the muscle back together. The dragon supposed he was lucky that it hadn’t nicked any vital organs. "Where do we go Bilbo?" He asked, looking down at his companion.

"Well, first we try to survive this," Bilbo announced. "Then we try to find where the hell we are to get back on track again." He paused tentatively. "Are you sure you can transform again? You didn't seem very....well, good at it a minute ago..."

Smaug took a breath. "I might want to try a little smaller. I think it will take too much out of me to go full sized." He grit his teeth at a spike of pain, and blinked. "The after effects of the fire weed are gone, I'll be in control now."

Bilbo blinked at him dubiously, but didn't protest. "Just do whatever you think you can handle," he instructed. "Don't overexert yourself."

Smaug shrugged, and it caused his wound to flare. He grimaced. "Back up Bilbo," he ordered lightly. He gathered some magic from his core, building it up while he waited for the hobbit to do as he asked.

Bilbo hesitated, but finally obeyed the dragon, calling a little "This far enough?" as we went.

Smaug nodded, and fell to the ground, skin morphing and changing quickly. Instead of changing to the uncoordinated drakeling, he had chosen to shrink his adult form. He was now the size of a Clydesdale horse, and he tested his limbs, whining as he noticed the even larger chunk missing from his scales due to the wound. "Well that's just so annoying," he snapped, twisting his neck so he could stare at his scales. He looked up to the hobbit. "Do you know how long it takes to regrow scales?" He asked, rather forwardly.

"Er....no?" Bilbo admitted, not nearly as terrified by a dragon of this size, although he was still intimidating. "Does it take a very long time?"

Smaug hiss slightly, golden gaze snapping to the hobbit. "Yes." He huffed, a huge cloud of steam enveloping his face for a moment. "No mind," he recovered quickly, "we can't do anything about it now." He flicked his head, and rolled his shoulders. "Climb on little one," he said, testing his legs. It might take a little while to get into a rhythm, but he'd survive.

"Do you still want me to ride you?" he asked hesitantly, eyeing Smaug's wound. It was better, but at this size, he would strain the dragon far more than he had before.

Smaug gave a dragon shrug. "I could carry you if you'd prefer," he drawled, blinking slowly. "How else are we supposed to move as a pair. Do you want to run beneath me?" He chuckled. "Climb on."

Bilbo hurried to do what he said, scrabbling into his back with a bit of difficulty while still trying to be gentle. When he'd finally settled onto the dragon's back he hesitated before announcing, "Okay, I'm on."

With the hobbit settled comfortably between his shoulder blades just before his wings, the shook his head, rearing like a horse for fun, before taking off. His wings were struggling slightly due to the extra weight on his back and the delirium. "I'll get it soon," he gasped, muscles extremely tender.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bilbo demanded, feeling the dragon straining. "We could get there a different way if you're too weak..."

The dragon snarled through his teeth. "I'm fine." The anger fueled his wings, and it didn’t take long for him to find a rhythm. He took a deep breath. "See? I told you."

Bilbo rolled his eyes as he clung to the dragon. "Yes, I see. I also see that you're going in the wrong direction. The Shire's that way." Bilbo pointed to their left.

Smaug snarled, and stopped very suddenly on purpose, spinning dangerously quick to changed direction. "Of course Master Hobbit," he growled under his breath. He kept just above the tree tops, in case he needed to drop into them suddenly, and he watched as the sun crossed halfway in the sky. He had been traveling for longer than he thought.

"Goodness!" Bilbo exclaimed as he was almost tossed from the dragon's back. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

Smaug grinned evilly to himself. His tone though, was completely innocent. "I was just changing direction, like you told me to," he explained, wings feeling great, despite everything. Bilbo weighed barely anything.

Bilbo scowled from atop the dragon. "If this is the kind of thing I'm going to have to deal with at Bag End...." He trailed off, trying to make it sound like a threat, but really he just couldn't think of anything he could threaten Smaug with.

"The trip won't be as boring as walking with dwarves," the dragon finished pleasantly. He dropped his feet slightly to trail them in the top leaves. They'd either have to fly around the mountains or over them, but they could make that decision later.

"No?" Bilbo replied, raising an eyebrow. "Do you even know what we went through to get to Erebor? It was hardly boring."

Smaug scoffed. "Dwarves are dull, of course it was boring." He rolled his eyes,  and pulled his feet back up to his body.

"So vengeful orcs and mountain giants and goblin kingdoms and wargs and upset elves and enormous spiders and skinwalkers and visiting wizards and hungry trolls; all that's just boring, him?" Bilbo droned.

The dragons ears flicked slightly at that. It obviously was very not boring, but he wasn’t going to give in that easily. He wasn’t a pushover. "Yes," Smaug replied stubbornly.

"Well I think so far our trip has been far from dull, don't you?"

Smaug let out a growl. "It would be made more boring by the presence of dwarves," he retorted, tensing his back muscles slightly. He had just died. Almost. He wasn’t in the mood.

"Smaug..." Bilbo leaned forward, the beginnings of a grin on his face. "Are you afraid I'll have had more fun with the dwarves than with you?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" The dragon snapped. "Of course you're going to have more fun with me." He snickered lightly. "Bilbo, I know for a fact that a dragon's company is much more... Pleasant, than a dwarf's, and slightly more pleasurable, as it were."

Bilbo paled. "What are you talking about you damn lizard?" he retorted, glad Smaug couldn't see his face heating up. "It's—you know that's not what I meant!"

Smaug hissed, and two spurts of smoke came out of each nostril. "I'm not a lizard," he growled.

"Biologically speaking you are," Bilbo teased. He ruffled the top of Smaug's head playfully.

Smaug tucked his wings to himself, dropping a few feet before he snapped his wings out. "I am not a lizard, or a pet. Do not touch my head I will throw you off!"

"You will not, you big softie." Bilbo leaned forward to rest his head on Smaug's neck, scratching him behind the ear.

Smaug flicked Bilbo’s hand away irritably with his ear. He flapped his wings furiously, gaining altitude quickly. He tilted slightly, enough that Bilbo could hold on, but also that it was a rather violent angle. "Would you like to test that statement?" He asked loudly, still gaining height.

Bilbo felt a thrill of fear, but somehow knew that Smaug wouldn't let him fall. Or would at least catch him if he did. Bilbo—being the defiant little hobbit he was—scratched at his ear again, placing a chaste peck on his scales before ruffling his head again.

Smaug growled, and twisted his wings, flipping upside down. He shook his body, dislodging the little thing from his back as he hissed streams of fire. He waited a second, before flipping right way up and diving after the falling figure. He quickly caught up, and grabbed Bilbo by the shoulders with his back legs. He flew in the direction of the Shire for a moment, leaving the hobbit in his claws.

Bilbo's heart was pounding almost painfully, but he refused to give Smaug the satisfaction of knowing that. "Are you planning on carrying me like this the whole way?" he asked, feigning calmness as he looked up at the dragon.

Smaug stayed quiet for a moment, letting the hobbit sit in silence. "I'm sorry, I'm but a simple lizard, and I cannot talk," he replied in a plain tone.

Bilbo grumbled in irritation, but his heart was fluttering faster than that of a terrified hummingbird. "Pouting, hm?" Bilbo dared to tease him. "Doesn't suit you."

Smaug dared not reply to the baiting. He only loosened his grip on the hobbit slightly. He kept a steady wing pace, and if he looked at it logically, the annoyance he was feeling caused them to make good ground. But he wasn’t thinking logically, he was a lizard. So he thought about how he could make Bilbo shut his mouth and stop teasing him.

"Come on, Smaug," Bilbo complained, carefully shifting in his claws. When Smaug's grip slackened, although it was more comfortable, the hobbit automatically reached up to grab onto his legs, just in case he decided to try anything funny again. "You don't even know where we're going! Let me back up."

Smaug stayed quiet for a moment as he readjusted his claws. "We have to move through the mountains, so I'm heading there first." He blinked slowly, and grinned to himself. He could almost hear Bilbo’s hummingbird heartbeat.

"So you're not going to let me back up?" Bilbo asked dubiously, watching the ground beneath them shrink as Smaug gained altitude. He curled his legs up a bit, and held onto the dragon's legs even tighter.

Smaug thought for a moment. "Well, a humble lizard would probably just drop you..." He stated contemplatively. "What do you think of that option?"

Bilbo looked up at him in disbelief. "Are you still upset about that?" he demanded, although it made him grin a bit. Well, at least he knew a way other than an arrow to get under his skin....

Smaug let out a little growl. He could hear the smile in the hobbit’s voice. "I am not upset, I am only a lizard," he replied tightly, "I am what you say I am."

"Hm... A grumpy lizard...." Bilbo hummed thoughtfully, smirking. "Whatever I say you are, huh?"

Smaug let his claws loosen even more. "Obviously hobbit." He was digging himself a hole, he could tell, but he could easily drop the hobbit.

"Well in that case you're a flying lizard that's going to let me up right now," Bilbo tried.

Smaug smirked. "Hmm, maybe not everything then," he hummed, eyes flashing slightly.

"Smaug..." Bilbo whined, wriggling about a bit to express his irritation. "Come on, this doesn't feel particularly pleasant, you know."

Smaug huffed. "Stop complaining. I will turn around," he threatened. "Drop you off with those snily elves."

"At least elves would be better company than a pouting dragon!" Bilbo retorted, growing brave enough to start squirming around again.

The dragon let out huge sigh. He slowly began descending. If Bilbo wasn’t careful he would fall and die, and the dragon couldn't have that. He didn’t say anything the whole time, until they got to the ground. About a meter from the floor, claws released the hobbit’s shoulders and the creature fell a little. Taking advantage of this, the dragon landed over top of the hobbit, growling lowly in his chest. "You could at least stop complaining," he hissed, face right by the little creatures.

Bilbo let out a surprised gasp when he was practically thrown to the ground, and suddenly there was a dragon over top of him. Bilbo paled—Smaug hadn't seemed quite so large before. "I...uh..." Bilbo practically squeaked, unable to find his words, his surprise and breathlessness finally catching up with him. "S-sorry?"

The dragon let a stream of smoke cover the body beneath him, and stayed there for a little while, letting his hulking body intimidate the little creature for a moment longer. "I accept your apology," he said eventually, stepping over the hobbit and looking around the clearing he had landed in. "We could camp here," he said, turning and looking back at Bilbo.

Bilbo blinked rapidly, confused, before he slowly sat up and eyed Smaug warily. "Camp?" Bilbo repeated, still shaken up by the dragon's sudden change in behavior. It was a nice little clearing, he supposed, but hardly a place he would have chosen.

The dragon narrowed his eyes. "Yes little one. Camp, as in stay the night, because we're not getting to the Shire today and I refuse to fly at night."

"Too afraid of the things that go bump in the night?" Bilbo teased without thinking, instantly regretting his decision. Teasing Smaug is what had caused all his trouble today—you'd think the hobbit had a death wish. And he wasn't really one to talk anyhow, with his being terrified of things that go bump even in the day.

Smaug narrowed his eyes further, until they were nothing but slits. "I would go bump in the night idiot," morphing into his human form fluidly.

In a surprisingly easy transformation, Smaug was human again, contrasting with what he said, as he looked far less dangerous. Not safe, not harmless by a long shot, but a little less terrifying that he was in his dragon form. Just a little less, though. Bilbo was relieved Smaug didn't seem to be upset about his latest jab, and quickly scrambled to his feet. "So you want to stay here?" Bilbo asked, eyeing the darkening woods suspiciously. Maybe Smaug felt nice and safe here, but Bilbo was just a hobbit.

Smaugs gaze turned flat. "No, I want to stay in the woodland realm. Of course I want to stay here!" He tilted his head, walking back over to the little creature. "Did you bump your head or something? You're asking a lot of stupid questions."

"I suppose it's just my nature," Bilbo replied dryly. "I just....I don't know. Doesn't seem...safe," he finally admitted, peering skeptically into the trees again.

Smaugs expression melted into one of amusement. "Don't worry Bilbo, I'll protect you," the dragon cooed jokingly. "A creature doesn't harass me without consequences."

"Yeah, but they harass me without much consequence, and I'm not all too keen on almost being a troll's dinner again." He shuddered as he remembered that horrible experience. It was one he'd rather not have repeated.

Smaug grinned wickedly, making a show of his teeth sharpening, and grew his nails slightly. "No one is going to harm you Bilbo," the dragon said, eyes flashing. His tone was of one who was completely sure of everything ever.

Bilbo looked at him, a small smile on his face, and finally nodded. "Fine. I believe you," he replied with a tired sigh as the exhaustion finally hit him. Today had involved far too much excitement for a hobbit such as himself, and he was looking forward to finally being able to rest.

Smaug let his weapons go back to normal. He sat where he was, and, deciding that it might be a cause for embarrassment if they slept next to each other while he was in human form, Smaug turned back into a dragon, not a large one, just enough that he could protect the pair of them if need be. "Come little one," he rumbled, lifting his wing up in invitation.

Bilbo grumbled a bit about being called 'little one', but otherwise didn't complain as he padded forward to sit underneath the offered wing. He was too tired to do anything else, really. It wasn't too cold, but Bilbo was grateful for the warmth of the dragon.

Smaug rumbled still, letting the wing drop down. He hummed, the embers in his chest warming slightly. He let his eyes slide shut, but kept his ears open. After all, he had slept for years on end, he didn't need to now, he could keep a look out.

Bilbo sighed contentedly as Smaug settled in around him, and curled up closer to his body as he began drifting off, sleep taking him quickly.

The night lead to the morning, and the morning to the next, until the pair finally reached the Shire. It was a rather hard task, seeing as they had to get around the mountains, over leagues and leagues. There was bickering, of course, and fights over what to have for dinner. It was always barbecued.

But they reached it. After three days they reached the hobbits home. Smaug landed, morphing into a human so they could walk into the town instead of fly in and terrify everyone there. "Where will I get clothes?" He asked, looking down to his cloth. "What will you tell everyone?" Smaug glowered at the hobbit. "You haven't thought this out too well Bilbo."


	3. Shire Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to split the Shire stuff into two so it wasn't as long...

"Shut up, Smaug, hobbits'll only ask questions if you're abnormally rude. We can have you some clothes made, although in the meantime you'll just have to squeeze into some of mine." He shrugged. "I'll tell them you're just a Man here to see what life's like in the Shire. They should buy that."

Smaug narrowed his eyes slightly. "I won't fit any of your clothes." He objected. "But you can bring them and I'll change them. After all, what would be the point of magic if you couldn't do stuff like that?"

Bilbo rolled his eyes. "Come on, you great lump," he ordered, snatching Smaug's arm and trying to pull him toward Bag End. "Hurry, I haven't been home in forever!" Bilbo went on, excited to be back home again. He hadn't realized how much he missed it until it was almost within reach.

"Bilbo," the dragon snapped, snatching his wrist back ."I can't go there until I have clothing. Go first, I'll be right by the forest. Bring the clothing back, and then I'll be able to see what you constantly talk about."

"No one will see you," Bilbo insisted, taking his hand again and tugging on it like an excited child. "I'm at the edge of the Shire. Please, Smaug? I don't know if I'll be able to make myself leave again once I go back."

The dragon grumbled, taking one last look at the cloth before letting Bilbo drag him. He let his eyes wander, pleasant colors entering his vision. The whole place smelt like happiness and lying around.

Bilbo continued from where he left off, almost bouncing through the trees as they took the back way to Bag End. Bilbo, familiar with the undergrowth and terrain, darted easily though the foliage until they finally emerged from the trees. Bilbo finally released Smaug's arm, and ran up to his home eagerly. He paused for a moment, taking a breath, before pushing open the door to the welcoming sight and familiar smell of his home. He turned around proudly, gesturing for him to walk through the door with a bright grin. "Welcome to Bag End!"

Smaug ducked to get through the front door. He took a slow breath in, lips twitching slightly. "Indeed," he rumbled pleasantly, gaze trailing over everything. "What a little home." His eyes flicked to the hobbit. "Fitting, I suppose," he grinned, running his hands over the wood. He could smell a few bits of gold, but they were only slithers, on furniture or books.

Bilbo was beaming, glad to be back home, and pleased that Smaug seemed to like it—or at least didn't hate it. "So we just need to find a good place for you to stay now," Bilbo replied thoughtfully, trying to think of the most suitable place for the larger man to sleep comfortably.

Smaug saw the fire place as made a casual beeline for it. He smiled at it, and clicked his fingers near it, creating a little spark, in turn causing a flame. While the temperature wasn’t cold, it wasn’t too hot, and Smaug urged the flame to grow bigger in the place. He sat crossed legged, and he played with flame, making a dragon out of the colors, a house, a hobbit. It was lovely! And the carpet beneath him was comfortable too. Smaug stared into the fire, eyes glittering.

Bilbo noticed Smaug playing with the fire, but was too glad to be home to pay much mind to it. He raced to his room and flounced onto his bed earnestly, sighing contentedly and allowing himself to stretch out. A bed. His bed. It seemed like forever since the last time he'd fallen asleep on anything even remotely comfortable, and right now, Bilbo had no intention of getting up for a very long time.

Smaug looked up from his fire, and it died down now that it didn't have a coaxer. He looked around, stomach giving a quiet growl. "Bilbo!" He called out, "Where do you keep the food?"

Bilbo moaned irritably. Could he just relax for five damn minutes without that dragon badgering him? He didn't move, but just raised his voice so he'd be heard from the sitting room. "Smaug, I haven't been here for seven months, and the dwarves cleaned me out before we left anyway. There's not going to be much of anything edible in the pantry."

"Fine!" The dragon called out in reply. "Can you bring me some clothes so I can buy something edible? And then can you take me to the market because I don't know where it is...."

"Smaug, leave me alone, I'm tired," Bilbo complained, covering his eyes with an arm. "If you're really so hungry get in here and find some clothes yourself. And then find the market yourself. In fact, just do everything yourself until I'm ready to go be alive again."

Smaug stood, following Bilbo’s voice. "You slept the whole trip here," he grumbled, but went into Bilbos drawers. He pulled out the most basic pieces, smiling as he already had a plan for them. He also found some shoes, and a necklace, which he duplicated thrice. He did the same for a few rings. He sat on the ground, setting about changing them to his liking

"Did not," Bilbo retorted. He finally removed his arm from his eyes and sat up, leaning on his elbows, just enough to peer over at whatever Smaug was up to. "What are you doing over there?" he demanded after the dragon remained focused on his task.

Smaug twisted the fabric with his hands, changing the plain colors in the top to deep reds and golds, opening the chest and connecting them with a chain of gold. He dyed the necklaces gold, changing their lengths and placing them around his neck. He slid the rings on after adorning them with the appearance of jewels. He colored the pants blue, covering the knees with scale like armor. He grinned, pulling the coat like top on and then the pants, dusting them off, shaking himself. He turned to Bilbo, smiling. "How do I look?"

When Smaug finally stood up and turned around, Bilbo didn't say or do anything for a moment—although his lips parted in surprise as he took in Smaug's honestly quite handsome appearance. He almost asked where he got the clothing and jewelry, which all looked perfectly designed just for him, but realized that they probably were. With magic. "Um...you look...good," Bilbo admitted tentatively, managing to tear his eyes away to flop back down on the bed, eyes focused in the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing on earth.

Smaug smiled, pleased. He hummed slightly, bare chest glowing slightly for a moment. "I will tell everyone I am a merchant from your travels, who needs a place to stay. Stick to that story. And..." He hesitated. "I'll call myself..." He frowned, slightly. "I don't know what I'll call myself."

Bilbo stared at Smaug's chest—only because it was glowing, of course; no ulterior motive here, thankyouverymuch—and he was definitely not thinking about how good the clothing looked on him. Definitely not how it looked off him either, where his chest remained bare. "What's that?" Bilbo asked distractedly, forcing himself to meet Smaug's eyes. But the dragon's smoldering gaze wasn't a much better place to be looking, so Bilbo decided that the ceiling was his safest bet. Oh, that's right....a name. He wracked his brain for a moment, trying to come up with a name, an old family name perhaps. "Well...I had a great-great-uncle, named Naffîl. I think it's elven..."

Smaug saw the gaze trained on him, and smirked lightly. "Nah-feeeel?" He asked, deliberately dragging it out. "Snily elven name," he growled lightly, but he decided on it. They had no other idea. He shook his wrists, chain across his chest making little noises. "Alright, I'll be wandering around town. I don't know when I'll be back." The dragon grinned. He could create this Naffîl character. He could be completely new. He left the room, feeling extremely elated.

Bilbo let out a huff and sat upright, crossing his arms and calling out after the dragon. "Do you think you can do it without scaring half the town to death? Or am I going to have to tag along just to make sure you don't give the whole of Hobbiton a heart attack? Hobbits aren't like other folk—we scare easy, and we aren't up for much adventure and such," he explained. And he could just imagine Smaug causing a panic in the Shire, even in his human form.

Smaug paused in the lounge, going back to Bilbos room, leaning against the doorway. He put his weight on one hip, looking out to Bilbo from under his lashes. "Am I being frightening little one," he purred. "Am I going to frighten the Shire?"

Bilbo glanced over for a second, but returned his gaze to the ceiling. Maybe not frighten them all, but perhaps incapacitate any young women with one of those damn looks, he thought with a wry smile. Bilbo tried not to be bothered by it, and shrugged. "You're frightening," he replied simply. And it was true—to hobbits, who preferred the quiet life at home, keeping things ordinary and the like, Smaug would be something terrifying and new. Something about his being in plain, simple Bag End in the boring, usual Shire just made the dragon even more intimidating by comparison. Especially with everything being so little compared to him.

Smaug gave a wolfish grin. "Then the hobbits of the Shire are about to get the fright of their lives." The dragon turned away, exiting the home before he could be stopped. His teeth glistened as he smiled. Then, he started walking down the road, heading towards what he thought was the town centre.

As much as Bilbo wanted to remain in the comfort of his bed, he rolled out with a sigh and headed toward the window to watch Smaug head toward Hobbiton.

By the the first hobbit he met, just down the road, Smaug knew how Naffîl would act. "Excuse me ma'am," he asked, catching the older woman's attention. The hobbit turned, and froze for a moment.

"How can I help you young man?" She asked in a tight voice, gaze traveling over Smaugs chest and body as she walked closer.

"You wouldn't happen to know the way to the market?" Smaug asked, fluttering his eyelashes.

The older lady blushed. "Just that way," she said, pointing down the road, and blushing. Smaug smiled, taking the hobbit’s hand and bringing it to his lips. "Thank you," he murmured, and then went on his way, leaving the older hobbit to stare after him and question her choice in husband.

Bilbo watched Smaug with narrowed eyes as he approached the woman. His eyebrows shot up when, as opposed to terrifying her as Bilbo had assumed he would, Smaug seemed to charm her into confusion. Which just seemed like a very un-Smaug-like thing to do. He continued to watch warily as Smaug continued on his way.

It didn't take long to get to the market, his long legs covering the little hobbit roads quickly. He winked at a group of girls as they passed him, and he heard them stop and stare at him as he continued on his way. He turned back to face them, grinning, and they all giggled and blushed at being caught. Little did Smaug know, they were heading past Bilbo’s house. When they were passing it they were still laughing and grinning, saying things loudly like,

"Oh My God did you see his chest."

"His eyes more like."

"Wow."

"I can't breath."

Bilbo rolled his eyes as the young ladies passed by, going on and on about how lovely Smaug was. Bloody show-off. He had to be acting all charming and kind like he was for some reason, but Bilbo could not, for the life of him, figure out a motive. With a huff of irritation that Bilbo couldn't explain the origin of, he trudged off into the kitchen, suddenly in a foul mood. He didn't know why. Why should he care at all if Smaug was behaving himself? It should be a good thing, after all. He couldn't help sneaking glances out the window after Smaug as he started washing the layers of dust off everything in the kitchen, taking his agitation out in his work.

Smaug was having the time of his life! He hadn't been with humanity for far too long. He could hear that glares directed at him, taste the blushes on the woman's cheeks, even on some of the men. Naffîl was a true lady killer, and he didn't pay a cent at the market. He told his tale of woe, becoming animated and excited as he told tales of wizards that cursed him and burglars who stole from him. Running into Bilbo on his trail, quickly becoming friends, and deciding he wanted to see the hobbits home, it certainly lived up to the tales Bilbo told him, the dragon explained, and a lot more too. Women had crowded around him, watching Naffîl in awe. A traveler.

"Come try my goods Naffîl!"

"No mine!"

The dragon chuckled. "I have all day ladies." He winked to some of them. "And all night." His teeth glittered, and all the hobbits blushed and swooned. Some men seemed eager to show 'their goods' also. Anyone who came in contact with Smaug the whole day was trying to flirt with him or get a story out of him. And boy, did the dragon have a lot of stories.

Bilbo scowled at the door from his chair, tapping his fingers impatiently along his crossed arms. How the hell long did it take to stock up on some food? Really, what could possibly be taking so long? In his irritation, Bilbo had scrubbed Bag End until it was shining and cleaner than he'd ever remembered it being. Unfortunately, that left him with naught to do now. For the umpteenth time, Bilbo rose to his feet to check out the window, waiting for that damn dragon to return with that damn smug smile on his face.

Smaug eventually had almost too many bags filled with goods from the towns people. "Bilbo will want me home," he said as he started walking away. There was a collective noise of disagreement from the crowd.

"Naffîl! Please don't go!"

"We could bring Bilbo here."

"Please Naffîl!"

The dragon shook his head, half waving with his hands full with bags. "I will see all your lovely faces at another date," he called, causing many people to blush. "Stock up on your lovely goods. I might even let you get some clothes on me." He laughed along with the girls, but some had already grouped together, planning what they could change Smaug into and maybe see him without his pants.

The dragon smiled the whole way home, pushing the door open with his toe. "You won't believe the town. I didn't spend one coi-" he started, but cut off. "Bilbo?" He called out, immediately noticing the cleanliness of the home and the absence of hobbit.

Tired of waiting, Bilbo had returned to his bedroom. He'd grabbed an empty book and had meant to start recording what had happened, but unfortunately, he was too uptight to get anything done. Why? Why should he care what Smaug was up to? Bilbo was sitting on his bed, leaning up against the headboard and pouting when he heard Smaug return. He was hungry—starving, really—but he refused to come out of his room. He didn't even answer the dragon's calls, instead choosing to scowl in his solitary silence.

"Bilbo?" The dragon called again, walking to the kitchen and dropping the goods on the table. He got out some things, assuming that the hobbit had gone out, until he was so curious that he went and checked Bilbo’s room. He was just sitting on his bed. Smaug frowned. "I had a great time at the market," he said slowly, leaning on the door frame once more.

"Hm?" Bilbo looked up, pretending to be startled by Smaug's arrival. "Oh. You're back," he replied unenthusiastically, almost immediately returning to his book—still blank, for the most part—and choosing to ignore he man.

Smaug walked into the room, tilting his head slightly. "Bilbo," he said slowly, stopping walking at the end of the hobbit’s bed, "What is wrong? Did I do something?" He frowned. Everything seems fine when he left.

Bilbo looked up innocently. "No, of course not. Just.... working." He blinked at the empty paper on his lap.

Smaug curled his lip slightly. "I don't know what I've done to annoy you, little one, but when you decide to stop being a terrible host, I'll be in the kitchen." He smiled winningly, but it was venomous. The dragon had been in a good mood, and Bilbo had to go and ruin it. Typical. He could go back into town as Naffîl and be adored. The dragon huffed.

"What? Did I hurt your feelings?" Bilbo snapped, the words coming out a bit more harshly than he'd meant them to. "Is the great and mighty Smaug so easily put down by a tiny hobbit?"

Smaug narrowed his eyes. "I apologize that you're the only hobbit whose  opinion that I actually care about," he snapped back, making no move to leave the side of the bed. "A little jealous are we? You want me to be fluttering my eyelashes at you instead?"

"Excuse me? Jealous," Bilbo scoffed, shutting his book with a loud snap and putting it to the side. He crossed his arms and tried to sit up a bit straighter. "Just a bit disappointed I guess." He shrugged. "Didn't think a mighty dragon would have to resort to stooping so low, that's all."

"Stooping low?" The dragon growled. "No no no," he hissed leaning over the bed slightly. "I'm enjoying not being a murderer, and feeling good about the clothing choices I made. Are you offended by that?" He chuckled darkly, dark red coat falling forward slightly, exposing his chest further.

"Really? Because, the way I took it was that you had to resort to flirting the town off their rockers to get anything for yourself," Bilbo retorted. His eyes flickered to Smaug's exposed chest, but he refused to let them linger, instead training them defiantly on Smaug's face.

Smaugs lips curled up, chest glowing as his face heated slightly also. He didn’t wish for confrontation, and yet here it was, and he wasn’t going to back down. "It's not my fault your species is boring," he growled. "Just because they haven't seen a proper specimen before and you don't want to share." Smaugs lips twisted into a jeering smile.

"And you think you're a proper specimen?" Bilbo asked, raising an eyebrow dubiously and choosing to ignore the remark about sharing.

Smaug gave a dark chuckle. "I see your eyes wander, thief," he spat. "I've made myself in the perfect image. Do you dare disagree?" The dragon had adopted some of the coldness that he had retained in the cave, eyes hard and unforgiving.

Bilbo had been referring to the dragonish features left over in his human form—sharper teeth, longer claws, and scales in some places—not that he was going to admit that now, though. "The perfect image?" Bilbo repeated, rising to his feet, still on the bed, so that he was approximately eye level with Smaug. He crossed his arms defiantly. "I do, in fact."

Smaug tilted his head, bringing himself closer to the hobbit. "So you're a jealous person and a liar," he hissed, voice low and menacing. He was barely inches from the hobbit’s face, and the dragon blinked slowly. In no universe would he back out of this.

Bilbo snorted in disbelief. "You think too highly of yourself," he informed Smaug, remaining in place even as his brain told him to get out of the dragon's personal space.

Smaug blinked slowly, dark lashes framing his eyelids seeing every fleck of gold that lingered in Bilbo’s eyes. "In fact, it's the opposite, if you don't remember," he growled, the words reverberating through his chest. He let out a small stream of smoke, and clenched his hands at his waist. This was positively infuriating.

Bilbo waved away the smoke with irritation. "I remember," he replied darkly, glaring down at Smaug's chest so he wouldn't meet his eyes. He should probably apologize, that would be the decent thing to to. Well, Bilbo supposed one of them had to be reasonable. "Sorry," he muttered grudgingly, his arms still folded to show how cross he still was.

Smaug rolled his eyes, snapping the tense mood in half. "My apologies in return for making you feel jealous," he retorted cheekily, stepping back from the bed. He flicked Bilbos arm with a sharp claw, before turning away. "I'm going to try making lunch if you want some," the dragon offered,

"I'm hardly /jealous/," Bilbo denied, still standing on his bed. With a huff, he stepped down to his considerably shorter height, and began walking out of the room. As fun as it would be to watch Smaug's attempts to cook, Bilbo just felt like he needed some air.  "I think I'll go out for lunch," he muttered, stepping past the dragon. "Maybe go visit Marigold."

Smaug curled his lip slightly again, but went to the kitchen instead of following the hobbit. He waited until Bilbo was probably far away, and brought out a steak. To lazy to do anything to actually cook it, he bit into it raw, relishing the lovely taste. He could get used to farmed meat.

A nice meal with Marigold was just what Bilbo needed. Their usual back and forth almost-flirting helped him to relax after a rather tense day. Even Marigold had come across Smaug—no, Naffîl—but Bilbo was relieved to find that she didn't seem to be as impressed with him as all the others. Or at least, she was still charmed by the damn dragon, but she was better at withholding it. After scheduling another visit for the near future, and promising to tell her all about his adventures while he'd been gone, Bilbo finally left. After several hours of pleasant and welcomed conversation, he was happy and full, and feeling a bit more prepared to deal with the terror now residing in Bag End.

Smaug had been too lazy to wash his hands after his steak, and had wiped his hands on his bare chest, leaving bright red streaks. He sat in front of the fire again, watching the embers for a moment, blinking slowly, barely once per minute. His heart rate slowed, and it was almost like he had put himself in a trance. So there he sat, on the floor in front of the fireplace, staring at the embers, blood around his mouth, on his hands and over his chest.

And what a terror it was. When Bilbo walked into Bag End in a much better mood that he had left it, he let out a horrified gasp at the sight before him. "Smaug?!" he called in alarm, practically running to the dragon's side and dropping to the ground next to him. "Smaug!" he repeated a bit more forcefully, reaching forward to shake his shoulders.

The dragon looked up, blinking slowly. "Oh," Smaug smiled slightly, unaware of the way he looked. "How was your lunch with Garimold?" He asked pleasantly.

"Dammit, Smaug, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Bilbo glared at him accusingly, his heart still thundering frantically as he fell backward into a sitting position. "I thought you'd offed yourself."

Smaug raised a brow, a confused expression present. "Offed mysel- Oh! You mean killed myself." He went to run a hand through his hair, and paused. "Oh." He shrugged, smiling slightly. "That was just steak. Why would kill myself? I'm happy here." He stood, looking down at his chest. "Huh..." He said plainly, mind still sluggish from waking up from his trance.

"A steak?" Bilbo demanded. He wasn't really mad, but he wanted to get after Smaug for being an idiot and scaring him half to death. "Don't you know how to clean up after yourself?"

Smaug rolled his eyes blinking quickly to wake himself up. "I couldn't be bothered...." He moaned, smiling slightly. "You're looking a bit pale, did your date with Garimold not go well?" He smirked.

"No. It went rather well, actually," he admitted, neither confirming nor denying if it had been a date. In all honesty, he wasn't quite sure himself—he'd never been good at the whole courtship, relationship stuff. "I'm going back again the day after next."

Smaug chuckled, sitting up straight now. "I expect you'll be bringing her home to bed her soon," he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Bilbo flushed at Smaug's insinuation. "I am a perfectly decent hobbit, thankyouverymuch, and I will be doing no such thing any time in the near future!" he retorted. Damn, this dragon had him all over the place—first he was terrified that he'd died, and the next second Bilbo wished he'd jump off Erebor.

Smaug continued smirking. "So you hold a wish to remain abstinent your whole life?" He asked genuinely, still pleased he could wind up the hobbit despite the fact that Bilbo had just been afraid for his life.

"N-not my whole—I mean, I'm not—it's—well it's none of your business anyhow!" Bilbo exclaimed, flustered and red. He scrambled to his feet and....didn't know what to do. "I'm not talking to you about this," he snapped, turning on his heel and once again began heading to his bedroom.

Smaug stood too. "Little one," he chuckled, following after the hobbit. "I might be able to help you." He grinned wolfishly, completely ignoring the blood drying to brown on his skin.

"Help me with what? Go away Smaug!" Bilbo's voice was muffled by his pillow after he'd thrown himself face-first onto his bed, trying to hide his still red cheeks.

Smaug chuckled. "Help you with Garimold," he said, perching on the end of the hobbit’s bed. "After all, magic in her dinner wouldn't hurt her." He blew some steam out of his chest, filling the room quickly with a warm misty air.

"Marigold," Bilbo grumbled, turning his head to the side just enough to unmuffle his words. "And I'm not going to let you magic her into....that. That's a horrible thing to do."

"It's just to increase her hormones," Smaug elaborated. "The urge is already there, I could just make them stronger. It would be completely consensual. And probably amazing too." He grinned.

Bilbo could feel the room getting warmer around him. He cracked open an eye to glare at Smaug, because obviously that was his fault—essentially everything was his fault. "Oh, and is that how you do it? Can't even bed a woman without help from magic?"

Smaugs expression flattened out for a moment, and the dragon tilted his head, leaning forward and licking his teeth. "Did you even see me today little one?" He purred, now looking at the hobbit with a hooded gaze. His chest began to glow, and you could see it from underneath a small layer of blood. "I don't need magic to bed a person." He purposely didn't use a specific pronoun, because he didn't just bed a group of specific people.

Bilbo was proud to say that he only flinched a /little/ from Smaug's proximity and the heat from his chest. "Did you mess with all their hormones, too?" The knowledge that Smaug could even mess with hormones of any kind was starting to make Bilbo anxious. He wouldn't really use that on anyone, right?

Smaug sat back, now grinning once more. "Not with magic. Just using charm and wit my friend," he explained. "Woman of every species turn to putty in your hand if you say thank you and pull out their chair for them. And men too, sometimes..." He added as an after thought.

Well that seemed a bit unnecessary to tack onto the end. Why would that matter to Bilbo anyway? It wouldn't, that's why. Hardly seemed relevant to Smaug's argument anyhow.

Bilbo realized he was focusing on it, which made him turn red again. For whatever reason. Narrowing his eyes but unable to think of anything of any intelligence to say, Bilbo just turned his head to shove it back into the pillow, with an irritated rumble.

Smaug chuckled. "Bilbo Baggins, it's like you've never experienced love from another person," the dragon stated disbelievingly. "Are you frightened of it? You do realize it is the living version of gold... Have you?" The dragon grinned.

Bilbo suddenly pushed himself up with a hard stare directed at the smug dragon. "No, Smaug. No, I haven't." Without another word, he crawled to the edge of his bed and swung his feet to the floor, fully intending on storming out of the room without so much as a backward glance.

Smaug immediately pushed himself up too, blocking the doorway because he got there before the hobbit due to his longer legs. "It's not a bad thing," he said lightly, leaning completely across the doorway so there was no hope for the hobbit to escape. "I was just wondering."

"Don't see how it's relevant...." Bilbo muttered grumpily. He looked up to Smaug with crossed arms, his cheeks reddening. Again. Bilbo assured himself that this time it was in irritation at the dragon. "Can you move?"

Smaug didn't move. "It's completely relevant little one." He shook his head slightly, as if he couldn't believe one person could be so oblivious. "Woman have a thing for the virgin. You could play from that angle."

"I don't have an angle! I'm not just looking for someone to....do that with, I want...." Bilbo trailed off. No. Smaug wouldn't understand about love or friendship—he was a dragon. All dragons care about is gold. Glowering at Smaug's lack of cooperation—but really, shouldn't he have anticipated that by now?—Bilbo went to duck under his legs. He so did not want to talk to Smaug about this.

Smaug bent down, well timed, so the hobbit was right underneath him when he went down, now sitting on the little thing. "Sorry, I didn't catch that," he said, making sure not to put all his weight on top of the little thing. It was a half straddle, half on the ground kind of position, and it certainly wasn’t comfortable, but Smaug could live with it. "You might need to repeat that."

"Get off!" Bilbo demanded after the initial shock had worn off. He pushed at the ground, but of course he wasn't going anywhere. Bilbo wasn't even the strongest hobbit—what hope did he have against a man-sized dragon? He tried to wiggle his way out from underneath Smaug, but he was quite stuck.

Smaug waited a few moments. "I'll get off, when you tell me what you want." He stopped, and grinned. "And don't think about lying hobbit, I'll know."

"I want you to get off me," Bilbo retorted, still uselessly attempting to free himself.

Smaug laughed quietly, the sound rumbling through his chest. "That doesn't count. What were you going to say?"

Bilbo finally gave up. "I was trying to say that it's not all about....it's not just about the love making," he started, his face heating up at his mind's embarrassing association of his words with the current position they were in. "It's about....how much you care about the person. Someone that gives you.....something to live for."

 


	4. Shire Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there! All chaptered and done :) it was no hassle at all, andI hope that makes it easier to read Boring_And_Obvious :P

Smaug blinked. "Hmm..." He said slowly, thinking on the words. He had never had a person to live for. Numerous lovers, of course, but never someone who wasn’t disposable. Someone, giving something. Smaug took a slow breath. He'd never had that. He... Probably would never have that. After all, what creature lived as long as a dragon....

Smaug rolled off the little hobbit, his whole demeanor different now. "Valid point." He gave a terse nod. "Excuse me," he said, and left the room.

Bilbo let out a little ‘oof’ as Smaug finally got off him, squishing him a moment before the pressure was gone. With eyebrows knitted together, Bilbo hurried after him. "'Valid point'? You sat on me for an answer, and all you've got to say is 'valid point'?"

Smaug looked down at the little hobbit. "It was a valid point," he said monotonously, as he sat down in front of the fire again. He supposed he should have probably washed the blood off of himself, instead of sitting down. Nah. He clicked his fingers, starting the fire once more, and he lay back, reflections of the fire in his eyes.

Bilbo sighed, his shoulders sinking. Damn dragon—he could never stay mad at Smaug for long, no matter how angry he made the hobbit. With another sigh, the remainder of Bilbo's irritation seemed to leave his body, and he sat down next to Smaug on the ground. He looked at him for a bit, not saying anything, and then joined him in staring at the dancing flames.

Smaug looked to the side, narrowing his eyes. "What are you doing?" He asked incredulously. "You were just furious at me..." He flicked his gaze to the fire momentarily, then back to the hobbit.

"Yeah, because you were sitting on me," Bilbo replied, as though that was obvious. Which, to him, it was. "And I can sit anywhere in my own home that I please." He pulled his knees into his chest and crossed his arms over top of them, a place to rest his chin as he stared into the flames.

The dragon narrowed his eyes. Something to live for. Something to live for. It was almost as if it were a mantra being chanted in his head. Something to live for. "Something to live for," he breathed, looking at the hobbit.

"What?" Bilbo asked curiously, giving Smaug a sideways glance. "Oh, yes. That's what I said."

Smaug took a few slow deep breaths. His mind was whirring. Bilbo was the only reason he was alive right now. He had stayed by the dragon’s side as he asked to be killed. This was... New. And he was unsure. "Please excuse me," the dragon said again, standing up and going to the kitchen.

"For what?" Bilbo demanded, pushing himself to his feet and stubbornly following Smaug. He wasn't going to leave him alone again, not when he was so....brooding.

Smaug stopped walking and turned to the hobbit, almost crashing into him. "I am trying to think," he said in a deadly calm voice. "Now if you please let me do so, it would be better for all of us.

"Since when do you think?" he teased, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of Smaug than whatever this was. He didn't like it one bit. He'd never seen Smaug so lost in thought.

Smaugs lips twitched, and his eyes softened momentarily, but it took less than a second for them to go back to hard and cold. "I appreciate the attempt," he said, beginning to turn away again, "But it doesn't aid with my thoughts."

Bilbo frowned at him, but there was only so much he could do if Smaug wasn't willing to cooperate. "Fine," he sighed, turning around to leave. "I'll be...reading, if you need anything," he called over his shoulder before returning to the sitting room to situate himself comfortably in front of the fireplace with a novel.

Smaug left the house. It seemed to be the only option. He wasn't leaving permanently, of course he wasn't, but if he could find a stream then he would wash off the blood and then think. He did find one, eventually, and he stripped out of his clothing and dived into the water, not enjoying the cold water that was practically the bane of his existence, but pleased enough the blood was washed off easily. He washed his chest and arms underwater, careful not to swallow too much water, then came back up and took in a big breath. He noticed immediately the few young ladies hiding the bushes not very well, but he paid them no mind. He walked out of the water and only pulled on his pants, drying himself off slightly with a subtle burst of steam first. Then he found a rock by the stream, and sat down, preparing for a long afternoon of thinking and musing.

Bilbo listened to Smaug leave Bag End, sighing after he was gone. He leaned back in his chair, the book—whichever one he'd happened to grab—untouched. It was certainly going to be difficult to live with a dragon, and Bilbo could only hope that their relationship would become more amiable and less hostile.

The dragon sat perched on the rock, torso bare as he thought. Bilbo had given him what Bilbo wanted himself. Something to live for. So did that mean the hobbit was what Smaug was wanting also. A person who gives you that, more than just love making, and the dragon was certain that wouldn't happen. So Bilbo was that person, did that mean that Smaug was that for him also? No. He couldn't be. After all, Bilbo had many things to live for. That Garimold for one, his home, that fire. Smaug let out a sigh. This was difficult.

Bilbo was growing restless. That seemed to be a growing pattern lately. Before the journey to Erebor, he could spend hours on end, all by himself, just writing or reading or whatnot. Since he'd gotten back, however, being alone was more difficult. He missed people. He even....missed Smaug. Bilbo set his book down, eyes narrowed in thought. "Curious...."

The dragon decided in the end that he wouldn't mention what he had concluded to the hobbit. After all, why would it matter. Bilbo did not reciprocate the need to live. He could happily sit in his little hole until the rest of his days. Smaug stood, tugging on his coat and then his jewelry, standing and shaking his wet hair. He started his trip home, ignoring the girls giggling in the bush, red faced and breathless.

Bilbo had given up on trying to read. He couldn't focus, not with all the quiet in the house, so—encouraged by a growling stomach—Bilbo had elected to start making dinner. He could only guess at what Smaug would like, so he included a bit more variety than he usually did. He hummed happily as he worked. It seemed this kind if a distraction from solitude worked.

Smaug returned after a leisurely walk, hair still damp. He had composed himself, and opened the little door, taking a slow breath in through his nose and humming immediately. "Smells delicious. What is it?" He grinned, ducking his head to get into the kitchen, leaning on one hip as he looked at the little hobbit bustling around in front of him.

"Well, I didn't know what you liked, so I...well, I made a bit of everything," Bilbo admitted, blushing. It seemed Smaug had sorted himself out, which was very good. "It's just....been a while since I last cooked, and....I guess I didn't realize how much I missed it until it was gone."

Smaug looked at all the things Bilbo had behind him. "A bit of everything?" He asked incredulously, "or a big bit of everything?" He chuckled, tilting his head as he took in the huge amount of food. It had been a while since someone had cooked him an actual feast.

"It's been forever since I've prepared a meal like this," Bilbo replied, proudly looking over his spread. He shrugged. "First night back, figured I ought to get back into the swing of things with a nice, big, Welcome-to-Shire meal."

Smaug raised a brow. "You would normally consume this much?" He asked, shaking his head slowly. He could imagine a few, about ten little creatures eating all of this, not just one.

"No....normally other hobbits would be over. I....didn't know how much you eat, either. So....I just made it all?"

The dragon smirked. "I think I'll be able to make a reasonable effort in eating all of this," he hummed, eyes trailing over the food as if it were a particularly attractive woman. "It has been a long time since I've had so much to eat."

"I'd imagine," Bilbo replied, an almost pained expression on his face as his hand went to his stomach. "It must've been horrible."

Smaug chuckled again. "Well, lizards are very adept at keeping hunger at bay, for ten years at most." He gave a wicked grin. "Could you imagine not eating for ten years?" He tilted his head.

Bilbo looked horrified. "I can't even imagine not eating for ten hours! Well, don't fret; I'll keep you nice and well-fed here," he promised, gesturing for Smaug to take a seat.

The dragon walked into the dining room, taking the seat offered, smiling slightly. This was the kind of adoration dragons lived for, yet this seemed more special somehow. Wait. No it didn't. Smaug shook his head lightly, waiting patiently for the hobbit to serve the food. After all, he didn't want to impose and try and help with the serving of it.

Bilbo expected Smaug to start helping himself to the meal. When he didn't, Bilbo just picked up a plate and started filling it for him with a bit of each thing to try. Maybe he'd never eaten at a table before—after all, he was a dragon. When Bilbo had what he deemed to be enough variety on Smaug's plate, he set it out in front of him. "There's a bit of each to try, then," Bilbo told him, nodding to the plate and watching him expectantly.

Smaug smiled, taking the plate and peering at it. Indeed there were many things to try. "Thank you," he murmured, picking up a fork expertly and piercing the first piece of meat. He looked up to Bilbo, smirking as he cut into it. Not too raw, which was nice, people seemed to think that dragons only enjoyed bleeding stuff, but also not cooked through. He rolled it in some gravy then placed it in his mouth, chewing slowly. The taste washed over his tongue with the right amount of savory and the right amount of... Everything he supposed. He let out a pleased noise, closing his eyes a second before opening them to try something else.

Bilbo tucked into his own meal after ascertaining that Smaug was satisfied with his, his lips turned into the hint of a contented smile. He had wondered if he'd lost his touch after being gone for so long, but it seemed that his abilities had remained in tact.

Smaug watched the hobbit in between eating. He was an interesting creature. The dragon would make sure to not catch his eye, and would always drop his gaze with a slight smile if the hobbit would look up.

As he ate—and he was rather preoccupied with his dinner—Bilbo glanced up a few times, thinking Smaug was looking at him, but found he had been imagining it each time. Odd. "So, how's everything to your liking?" Bilbo prompted him after they'd had time to try it all out.

Smaug grinned, licking some gravy off his teeth. "Absolutely delicious." He purred, scraping the rest of his meal into a little pile and pushing it onto his fork. He hummed contentedly. "Do you plan on eating the whole lot now or saving some for days next?"

Bilbo laughed and shook his head. "No, this should last us a few more meals, I think," he replied. He looked up at Smaug with interest. "Anything in particular you liked? I can make anything you like." He shrugged.

Smaug chuckled. "I particularly liked the gravy, but seeing as that was mostly fat and thickener I don't suppose we could survive on that." He grinned slightly, and put his knife and fork on the plate next to each other.

"Not quite, but I can incorporate it into more meals if you'd like," he offered instead, leaning back happily as he finished his as well. After a moment he gathered both plates and took them to the bench in the kitchen, next to the bowl of pre-heated water.

Not wanting to be left in the lounge by himself, Smaug got up and wandered after the hobbit, floating after him like a wraith. "Now what is the plan? Do we live the rest of our lives eating gravy and wooing innocent neighbors?"

"Certainly not," Bilbo scoffed. He set down the dishes and returned to the table to begin cleaning everything up. "I'll be going about my life as usual, and writing down the adventures we had," he explained as he worked. "You can...." He looked at Smaug with a furrowed brow. "...ah....what is it dragons do? Besides the whole 'treasure' thing."

"Terrorize farmers, burn forests and steal maidens for their own doing?" The dragon offered, leaning against the bench with a smirk.

"Mm...right. None of that then. Don't do....any of that," Bilbo replied, rolling his eyes. "We'll have to find you a new hobby, I suppose."

Smaug let out a drawn hum. "If not maidens, why not suitors? Surely that can't be as bad." He grinned, letting steam curl around his face. "And if there was a fire it would be some community building." He shrugged. "And I could turn into a dragon and terrify the neighbors if you wanted," he tilted his head, gold eyes flashing.

"Well....I don't want that, so....no need for it all," Bilbo insisted, hoping Smaug wasn't serious. "Do dragons do anything non-destructive? Like...help hobbits clean up after a meal, for instance?" he added pointedly.

Smaug gaped. "I cleared my plate entirely thank you. I would have licked it clean had I been in a different form." He scoffed slightly. "What would you like me to do? Breath fire on them so you have no more plates?"

Bilbo rolled his eyes. Well it had been worth a shot. It wouldn't take long anyway, it just might've been helpful later on. "Well if you aren't going to help, go wait out in the sitting room or something," he replied, glancing up at the very large and out of place dragon. "You're far too large for a hobbit hole."

The dragon scoffed, walking out of the kitchen and plopping himself down onto the closest sitting chair. It was probably far too small, but the man curled his knees up to his chest and sat sideways, just fitting. "It was your idea to bring me here," he called.

With the dragon gone, Bilbo finished cleaning up much more quickly. When he was done, he tipped the dirtied bowl water out the kitchen window, then he joined Smaug out by the fireplace and snuggled into a chair happily. "It's nice to be back..." he hummed happily, stretching for a moment before curling into the chair.

Smaug looked at the hobbit. He looked very calm. And cuddly. Smaug shook his head. "Will you miss the adventure?" He asked quietly.

Bilbo lifted his head to look over at Smaug thoughtfully. He propped his chin up on this arm. "I don't know," he replied finally. "It was....a lot more than I'm used to. Maybe I will....but I can't imagine being bored when I'm living with a dragon...." he added cheekily.

Smaug shrugged. "I'll probably just sleep in the sun then sleep with people. Rather monotonous if you want my opinion, but fulfilling none the less." He blinked slowly, like a tired cat, gold irises glowing in the small light of the embers. It had grown dark outside, and while the outdoors looked crisp, it was cozy inside.

"Sleep with people?" Bilbo asked, quirking an eyebrow. That thought didn't make him happy, though he couldn't put a finger on why. He shifted to get more comfortable, but then forced himself to sit upright. "Well, it's been a long day," he sighed, stretching again. "Probably bedtime for this hobbit..." He looked to Smaug, suddenly wondering where he was going to sleep. Most of Bag End was too small for him....

Smaug saw the hesitation and shrugged. "I slept on gold for years on end little one, I can deal with carpet and a fireplace." He smiled slightly, shifting to settle into the chair. "I could probably fall asleep here if I wished."

"All the more reason for you to finally have someplace comfy to sleep. You're a guest," he added with a scoff, rising to his feet. "I'm not making you sleep on the floor. Or a chair far too little for you. No....we'll work something out." He flashed a smile at Smaug before turning around and heading to his bedroom. He'd need some extra blankets, and a pillow....

The dragon let out a steamy huff. "Bilbo, I’m fine here!" He called out, staying on the seat and turning his head until bilbo was out of sight. "Little one!" He called. "What are you doing?"

"No you aren't!" Bilbo retorted as he entered his room. "Now come here! I need to see what might work." He looked to his bed, wondering if dragons slept on a bed, or a nest, or something else.

Smaug groaned, but rolled off the couch, walking to Bilbo's room. "Seriously," he huffed out, ducking into the hobbits room and crossing his arms. He looked flatly at the little creature. "I'm not sleeping with you." He smirked slightly.

Bilbo stood up from gathering the extra blankets, quirking an eyebrow. "Good. You weren't invited," he rejoined. He handed Smaug a bundle of blankets and went to snatch a pillow off his bed.

The dragon made a noise of confusion. "There are no other beds in this household, and you are insistent in me not sleeping on the floor. Where do you suggest?" He narrowed his eyes slightly at the bedsheets in his arms.

Bilbo shrugged. "You can have the bed," he replied simply. It would be big enough—it was about the size of a smaller human bed, which made it quite large by hobbit standards. "I can go sleep out there, ‘til we find some better arrangement. Furniture's my size, at least."

The dragon shook his head. "No, I don't agree with this. Here is your home. You haven't been here for however long, and you don't even get to sleep in your own bed?" He made a noise in the back of his throat. "I don't agree."

"Good thing I don't care if you agree," Bilbo replied lightly, snatching the bedding back from Smaug and starting to head out of his room.

Smaug let out a small hiss, turning and stalking up behind the hobbit. "No," he said again, wrapping his arms around the little things waist and picking him up. He turned, taking him back to the room and plopping him down. "I don't agree," he said plainly.

"Hey!" Bilbo exclaimed when he was lifted off the ground. He scowled as he was deposited ungracefully. "My house, my rules," he started, crossing his arms. "I can't let you just sleep on the floor—that wouldn't be decent. My bed's probably the only piece of furniture in Bag End that might be comfortable for you. Just take it—I'll sleep on the couch." Thinking that settled the matter, Bilbo started to walk past Smaug to leave again.

Smaug tutted and hooked his arm around Bilbos front, stopping him. He leant down, smiling slightly. "I'm bigger, they’re my rules," he rumble pleasantly, keeping the smile on his face. "If you've forgotten, I am an animal, and we are quite capable at sleeping on floors and around couches."

"You aren't an animal right now," Bilbo argued. He flushed at the proximity, but didn't move. "Is it so bad for me to want you to be comfortable?"

"Is it so bad for me to want you to be comfortable?" The dragon retorted, smirking slightly at the color on the smaller creatures cheeks.

Bilbo scoffed. "Since when does a dragon care about whether someone's comfortable or not?" he replied, pulling away.

The dragon splayed his arms across the doorway, shrugging. "Since little creatures like you come a-wandering into caves with little bad rings that hinder magic."

Bilbo studied him for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Well if you aren't going to take it, then I guess neither of us will be sleeping in the bed," he said stubbornly.

Smaug let out a stream of smoke. "That's not fair. I'm not letting you not take the bed. That's just not happening."

"You're not letting me?" Bilbo asked with raised eyebrows. "I fail to see how that's going to stop me. And stop it with that smoke," he added, ducking under Smaug's arm—quickly though, not wanting a repeat of last time.

Smaug, just to retaliate, let out a huge puff of smoke, letting out a laugh as he turned. His long legs easily caught the hobbit, and he picked him up. "You amuse me Bilbo, but it's not happening."

"Put me down!" Bilbo complained, moving around in the hopes that he could wiggle free. "I can sleep where I want, thank-you-very-much!"

Smaug walked back to the room, putting the wriggling creature back in the bedroom. He sat him on the bed, standing over the hobbit and tilting his head. "I know you want to sleep in your own bed. Had I still had my gold pile I would fall asleep instantly on it. Stop retaliating and sleep here."

"This isn't a gold pile it's a damn bed," Bilbo pouted stubbornly. "For the love of....just sit here, would you?" He patted the bed next to himself. Maybe after actually feeling it Smaug would find it enticing enough to take him up on his offer.

"Iknow it's a bed you buffoon," the dragon retorted, walking forward and sitting heavily on the bed making it shake. He was surprised how the mattress sunk beneath him, and it elicited a pleased noise from the back of his throat. It was like sitting on a pile of sheep skin. He widened his eyes, pieces clicking in his mind. "I'm not sleeping on it," he said quickly, making a move as if to stand again.

Bilbo had already risen to his feet and rounded on Smaug before the dragon could stand again. "Why not?" he demanded. "Don't pretend you don't like it, I heard that happy little hum. So what's stopping you, hm?"

The fact that you've slept in here before and your scent is covering the entire thing. "I don't want to be a rude guest!" He crossed his arms like a stubborn child. "Bilbo, I won't sleep on this bed knowing that you're out in the lounge. I'll feel too guilty." Lies. Lies. He couldn't tell the truth though.

"You? You'll feel guilty?" Bilbo repeated, an eyebrow raised. He just wanted Smaug to be able to finally sleep in comfort for once—he would've thought the dragon would jump at the chance. He sighed. "Would it make you feel any better if I was in here with you? On the floor," he added quickly.

That would be so much worse. "I don't want you on the floor. It's all about fairness remember?" The dragon caught his bottom lip, itching to stand up and run out the door before he did something embarrassing for the both of them.

"Would you rather me in the bed, then?" he replied. It was meant to be jokingly, but.... Well, really, he'd already slept curled up under the dragon's wing, hadn't he? He supposed that it wouldn't be too different....except this time Smaug would be a man....

"Yes." The answer just fell out. Instead of scrambling to recover, he kept his tone calm and collected. "We'd both be in the bed, neither of us would be uncomfortable, and you don't have to worry about extra bedding." His cheeks were coloring slightly, but they could sleep on either side of the bed right?

Oh. He hadn't expected him to just....take him up on the offer. Bilbo shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Well, if that'd make you more comfortable..." They'd just have to keep to each other's side, then, right?

Smaug smiled. "Good." He stood, motioning for Bilbo to lay the sheets down with a neutral expression, while really his heart was beating rather quickly.

"Good," Bilbo quipped back. He got it all ready, and then told Smaug to make himself comfortable. "I'm going to go get changed," he told him, snatching some clothing from a drawer and heading off to the bathroom.

Smaug was tempted to sleep bare, like he would normally if he were in this form, but decided it would be inappropriate.  He quickly changed his own pants into some underwear, discarding his other items of clothing to the side of the room and crawling onto the bed and flopping his head onto the pillow.

Bilbo changed quickly, nervously. He had just grabbed the first thing he'd found, and it was just a pair of pajama pants. He came out of the bathroom, far more self conscious of his bare chest than he'd been even with the dwarves. He tossed his clothes in a pile and hurried across the room, putting out the light and nearly diving under the covers to lessen the time he was visible for Smaug to see.

Smaug looked at the hobbits bright face. "You alright?" He asked, rolling onto his side and lying on his arm to watch the brunet. "You look like someone has just seen you naked." He smirked, bending his knees so they didn't go off the end of the bed.

Bilbo kept as far to one side of the bed as he could. Oh, why did he agree to this? The bed may have easily been able to fit two hobbits, but a hobbit and a man-sized dragon were a bit much while still keeping a comfortable distance apart. "Well, someone practically has, haven't they?" he snapped defensively, curling into the side even further. Any more and he might fall off.

Smaug frowned, a small unknown feeling spiking through his gut. Rejection? Unusual. "How prudish of you," he drawled despite, rolling back onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "No need to worry hobbit," he continued, "I won't jump you in the middle of the night." He tried to leave his tone teasing, but a small amount of bitterness thread through his words, which he tried to ignore.

"How comforting," Bilbo replied dryly, although it did make him relax a bit. Not that he'd been expecting to be jumped, but....well, Smaug seemed to be a bit unpredictable, and both of them tended to get under each others' skin, and....no, he was just being stupid.

"Go to bed Bilbo," the dragon grumbled, chest aching unpleasantly. Smaug forced his eyes shut, making himself take slower breaths. "And don't jump me either." His own statement brought a small smile to his lips.

Bilbo snorted. "As if I could." He wiggled around under his blanket for a moment, getting comfortable and working himself a bit further onto the mattress so he wouldn't fall off. "Goodnight," he said with a sigh.

"Goodnight hobbit," Smaug rumbled, feeling himself losing consciousness already with the comfort of the mattress.

Smaug didn't dream often. Of course he didn't. He'd already experienced a lot of things and he didn't want to worry about dreams. But the dream he was having so so great. It was rather simple, and that was okay, because Smaug had awoken into his dream with Bilbo hugging his waist, sleeping soundly and sometimes mumbling. Smaug had smiled, wrapping one arm around the little creature, humming and his chest glowed, warming the room slightly, before 'falling asleep' in this dream.

There was a tempting warmth just out of reach.... Bilbo rolled over in his sleep as he sought out the heat, shifting around until he was toasty. He muttered unintelligibly—something about a furnace and how nice it was to have heat—before snuggling into the comforting warmth. In response, that heat seemed to envelop Bilbo and grow hotter. A low hum lulled him into a deeper sleep, making him feel more secure and safer than he'd felt in ages.

Smaug awoke slowly, like he was stuck in molasses. He didn't particularly want to wake up, but he was. He let out a stream of smoke, yawning and moving to stretch. But there was something hindering his movement. With a lot of effort, he forced his eyes open and froze. It hadn't been a dream. And now he couldn't move because if he moved Bilbo would wake and all would be awkward. So Smaug pretended to be asleep. Let Bilbo wake up around him and sneak away. Also, if the dragon was completely honest with himself, he didn't mind too much.

Bilbo hugged the warmth closer as he felt it shift, mumbling something unintelligible about holding still, he was tired. He frowned in his sleep as he slowly began waking up. Why was he so warm? What was giving off that kind of heat? The hobbit's eyes fluttered open, looking at whatever he was wrapped around that was keeping him so toasty, only to find that he was nested against what appeared to be...a smooth, bare chest.... SMAUG?!  Too startled and mortified to consider subtlety at the moment, Bilbo quickly pushed himself away from the dragon. However, Smaug was considerably larger than a hobbit, of course, and took up more room in the bed than Bilbo had anticipated. This left the hobbit closer to the edge of the mattress than he had thought, and his scramble to untangle himself from around Smaug nearly sent him rolling off the side of the bed in a wild tangle of blankets and flailing hobbit. Bilbo was able to catch himself just before falling over the edge, but in order to do so, he had to grab Smaug's arm, hugging it to keep himself anchored.

The dragon rumbled as if waking up, pulling his arm closer to himself while he blinked and yawned. "Bilbo?" He asked drearily, forcing down a smile and instead frowning in confusion. "What are you doing?" He sat up, wiping his golden eyes with another huge yawn, teeth pointed instead of flat like normal.

Bilbo was brought closer and lifted into a sitting position along with Smaug as as he woke up and moved, still clinging to his arm for fear of falling off the side of his bed. Not that there was a long drop, but....well, he was tired and disjointed—he'd just woken up! Bilbo blinked up at him, a pink glow coloring his cheeks and tips of his pointed ears. Oh, this was humiliating. "I.... N-nothing...." he said, looking like a deer in headlights, too addled to think to remove himself.

Smaug brushed a small curl from Bilbos face, canting a delicate brow and grinning. "And I suppose the fact you're still gripping my arm like a lifeline means you're doing nothing also?" He chuckled, looking pointedly at the hobbit. "Did you have a bad dream? Did I scare you last night? I swear I didn't mean to." He knew exactly what was wrong. He wasn't an idiot. The doze he had just happened to go through had done nothing to addle his memory, and this was definitely quickly becoming a new favorite memory.

"No!" Bilbo said defensively, immediately releasing Smaug's arm to lean away and cross his arms, as though arguing with his body language.  "I slept fine!" Which was true—he'd slept better than he'd remembered sleeping in a long time. Unfortunately, the hobbit's former motion sent Bilbo teetering on the edge, caught on the brink of falling off the bed—

embarrassing.

Smaug raised both eyebrows now. "Would you like to strapped onto the bed? And not in the weird way, you seem to be prone to maybe falling off." The dragon let out a steamy laugh. "You also seem on edge, are you sure you're alright? I don't have to sleep here if it makes you uncomfortable. I'd be fine with sleeping in the lounge." Lies. Lots of lies.

"No! I'm fine, just a bit startled.... I just forgot we were sleeping together." Bilbo reddened again, and quickly backtracked. "No, wait, I mean....I forgot we were sharing a bed. I... that we were....sleeping on either side of a bed...?" He tried to distract Smaug from his mortifying idiocy by a change of topic. "And I'm on edge because you take up most of the bed and there's nowhere else to go!" As if to punctuate his point, Bilbo finally felt himself topple over the side of the mattress, landing in an ungracious heap of hobbit and twisted blankets.

Smaug chuckled, rolling gracefully off the bed and walking to stand over the hobbit. "Yes, well, when you decide to admit that I fluster you, let me know." He grinned wolfishly. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He smirked at the sight of the little hobbit in a pile. Was he feeling the same things as the dragon himself was feeling? No. He mustn't put his hopes up.

It wasn't fair! How was it Smaug just woke up, instantly graceful and alert, where Bilbo had taken a clumsy tumble out of bed and still felt groggy and....well, as Smaug had said, flustered? "Fine," he replied, still sleepy and taken aback. "I—you might have, a bit." He suddenly looked down at the state of himself and flushed. "Or...a lot..." he admitted almost sheepishly.

The dragon had forgotten anything. there was metal, somewhere. It wasn't anything when the loud metallic crash happened. Smaug had set himself the task of looking through every cupboard to find any shiny object present in them. It had come on like a wave of impulse. Nothing could stop it. He rifled around, smelling the metals to see if they were authentic. There was hardly anything! Smaug was growling in a continuous unbroken way, a small pile of things forming in the middle of the kitchen. The dragon stood up once he could smell nothing more, mind completely blanked of any other creature in the home as he crawled around it on all fours, streams of smoke escaping his nose and little horns formed on the top of his head. He hadn't managed to form any clothes before the temptation struck and two small wings were forming to cover his body. It was unusual, for him to lose control, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"Smaug?" Bilbo called, scrambling to his feet in alarm at the sudden ruckus from the kitchen. He started toward the door, hopping around for a moment to unwind the blanket from around him. Running out to the kitchen, Bilbo skidded to a stop at the sight of it. It looked....ransacked. "What on earth are you doing?" he demanded, looking around for the damn dragon, who apparently just really enjoyed irritating the hobbit. When Bilbo's eyes finally landed on him, he rubbed them in disbelief. "Smaug...?"

Smaug let out a hiss, standing up and his pupils slitted. He recognized the being, but wasn't too sure what to do with it, so he did what he'd been doing with the pots, just more... Carefully. He walked slowly up to the human, as if an ethereal  being emerging from smoke, and grabbed the hobbit around the waist. It caused a light to start forming in his chest, and then the dragon plopped Bilbo down on top of the pots and pans. Smaug pulled back, appraising his pile of belongings, and a wing extended, wrapping around the pile as he began a deep throated purr.

Bilbo just sat there for a moment, too bewildered to really know what to do. He shook his head—it was too early for this.... Smaug had set him down in a pile of metals he had apparently found rummaging through the hobbit's cupboards. He didn't seem quite himself—and that observation wasn't just because now he had wings. He was acting very oddly, bad the closest thing Bilbo could compare it to was when he'd met him in his drakeling form at Erebor. After a moment of confused silence, Bilbo started wiggling around, trying to dislodge himself and ask Smaug what on earth he thought he was doing. "Smaug..." he complained, pushing at the wing around him.

The dragon let out a menacing growl, the wing pressing down as the little thing tried to move. He bared his teeth, and they no longer represented any human form, nothing but sharp needle points. His claws had also followed this plan, and Smaug tilted his head at the hobbit, reaching out and picking him  up under the arms. He brought his face close, taking a small little lick of Bilbos cheek. "Mine?" He asked cautiously, pulling back and frowning.

"Yours?" Bilbo repeated quizzically, brow furrowed in confusion. He glanced around at the pile around him. Smaug was hoarding, he realized, although Bilbo didn't have much in the way of valuable items, so the dragon was just collecting metal things from around Bag End. He looked back to Smaug, wondering what on earth could have triggered him to go into such a state, somewhere between dragon and man.

The dragon let out a little mewling noise. That hadn't sounded like confirmation. "Mine?" He asked again, a little louder, eyes huge. What would he do if his little creature wasn't his? Smaug let out a little stream of anxious steam. He let out a little growl, and his wings turned a shade darker with worry.

Okay, so he was a territorial little dragon, though Bilbo should have expected that. "Sure, sure," he replied, trying to soothe the uptight dragon hybrid holding him in the air. "Whatever you like. What's mine is yours," Bilbo assured him with a comforting little smile.

The dragon let out a small noise of irritation. He brought his face to be right by Bilbo’s face. "No," he said carefully, squeezing his hands to put pressure on the hobbit’s torso. "You mine?" He asked, tongue darting out to touch his lips.

Oh. Oh... Bilbo put a hand to his lips, his face heating up rapidly. Smaug had....and this morning he'd… he meant… but... And it was like someone had flipped a switch in the hobbit's brain, everything clicked into place. He realized what all the complicated emotions he'd been experiencing lately meant, and all Smaug's antics, and it was a tad embarrassing for Bilbo to have taken so long to catch on—for it to have taken another one of Smaug's strange episodes to make him understand. Damn, it was no wonder he'd been a bachelor for so long if he couldn't even pick up on the signs.....or rather, if he hadn't consciously realized what they meant. "Oh," he murmured, flushing again. He paused before hesitantly continuing, suddenly very self-conscious. "I.... Yes. Yours."

Smaug let out a pleased noise. "Mine," he murmured, as if confirmation again was needed. With a dragon grin, he plonked Bilbo back down onto the pots, standing back slightly to appraise his belongings. He crossed his arms over his bare chest, a spiked tail now curling around his feet. He then started pacing around the kitchen. There weren't enough things here. He huffed, and a fog of smoke enveloped him. The whole kitchen was hazy now, and the dragon blinked slowly.

Bilbo just sat there for a moment, baffled. Maybe he'd misunderstood. Read into it too much. Maybe....maybe Smaug had meant exactly what he'd said, and Bilbo was just another possession to the dragon. Maybe he'd gotten it wrong after all. The thought was....surprisingly painful, for something he had only just realized. Bilbo finally rose to his feet again, following Smaug across the kitchen. "Smaug?" he asked softly, clasping his hands in front of himself a bit anxiously. "Are you... Is everything okay?"

The dragon looked down to the hobbit. One thought ran through his head. 'Sad'. Bilbo was sad. He couldn't be allowed to be sad. No one was allowed to make his Bilbo sad. Smaug dropped to his knees, now nearer the height of the hobbit. He cupped the little thing’s cheeks, bright golden eyes searching the little things face. He leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to the hobbit’s nose. "You okay," he affirmed after pulling back.

Bilbo was going to take that as a yes. Trying not to blush too much at Smaug's little display of affection, Bilbo looked at him again, tilting his head to the side. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously. He gestured to the pile  of metal objects Smaug had accumulated from his kitchen.

The dragon hummed, running his long fingers through Bilbo’s curls. 'I am making sure all that is mine is in one place, I need to make sure that it is safe and knows its mine', he thought, though, "Mine," was all he said. He blinked his big gold eyes, trailing a second finger carefully down Bilbo’s cheeks. He twirled a brown lock of hair around one finger as he looked over Bilbo’s shoulder, checking that the pots and pans were still in place.

"Yes, yes, yours," Bilbo assured him, closing his eyes as Smaug played with his hair. "That's all fine and well. But...why does everything have to be in a pile?" He shook his head after a moment, realizing he probably wouldn't get an answer out if him. Bilbo was still red from the attention of a nature he wasn't used to, but he opened his eyes to look into the dragon's. This different version of Smaug was simpler; unbridled by the worries and insecurities that had kept him from saying anything before. Apparently that's what it had taken to prompt Bilbo to recognize....whatever it was they had and how he felt about Smaug, but now that he knew... He needed the Smaug he was familiar with. "Smaug..." he said softly, his eyes flicking between the two golden eyes so close to him, trying to pull out the real Smaug.

The dragon hummed at the hobbit saying his name, watching the little thing look at him intently. His eyes were so close, a gorgeous brown swirling with emotions. Wait... Was something wrong? Did he need to harm someone for hurting his hobbit? Smaug pulled the little hobbit forward, and the dragon trailed a clawed finger down Bilbo’s bare back. He sat backwards on his tail, giving a pointy smile to the little creature. Did he want something? Was he hungry?

Bilbo shivered as Smaug dragged a claw lightly down his back, suddenly aware of how little he was actually wearing. It felt good, actually, but tickled a bit. Hmm, just saying his name didn't seem to be doing much for bringing on the usual Smaug, but Bilbo tried again anyway. "Smaug," he said again, hesitating for just a moment before snuggling into the crook of the dragon-man's neck.

The dragon almost purred at the hobbit cuddling him, and Smaug wrapped his arms around Bilbo’s waist, pulling him into his lap. His huge eyes were almost completely pupil, but as if it were chemicals in his mind were fading away from a spurt of hormones, they were slowly shrinking. As were the claws. And the wings. The horns too. Feeling slightly uncomfortable with the slow change, the more animalistic side of the dragon let out a small whine, holding Bilbo as tightly as he could without harming him.

Bilbo pulled back to see what was wrong, only to find that Smaug was slowly but surely switching back to his more human form. He cuddled against the dragon again, seeing as the contact had seemed to help spur on the change on the first place.

Smaug let out a stream of worried smoke, unable to sit still as something was happening. So he stood, gathering up the little creature in his arms and starting to pace, Bilbo curled up against him like a large child. The dragon was making little growling noises, watching his pots and pans while his tail swished anxiously. That was slowly becoming smaller too.

"It's okay, Smaug," Bilbo tried to soothe him. He was taken by surprise when Smaug stood and took Bilbo up with him, and the hobbit wrapped his arms around his neck reflexively to keep from falling. Though he doubted Smaug would drop him, even accidently. "What's wrong?"

The dragon didn't reply, feeling slightly nauseous as a different wave of chemicals ran through him to make him humanoid again. He hissed quietly as his wings retreated back into his back, teeth flattening out as they were grit, and slowly it was if words were slipping together and more cognitively in his mind. "Two seconds," he said, stopping and closing his eyes for a moment, grip tight on the little hobbit.

Bilbo just did his best to comfort Smaug as he changed, nodding against his shoulder with his arms still snugly looped around the man's neck.

And suddenly it was done. The dragon, man, was back to normal. Smaug opened his eyes, heart beating more quickly at the fact that Bilbo was hanging around his neck. "Uhm," he murmured, leaning his head against Bilbo’s for a second, when he noticed the pots and things. "I should probably put them back." He leant down to place Bilbo back on the floor, but he hesitated standing up straight again, but he did, mind now clear. Bilbo had only been playing along for his sake, nothing more most probably.

"I'll get them later," Bilbo assured him  waving a hand dismissively and trying not to look as disappointed as he felt. "You'd probably put them back all wrong anyway," he joked. Putting a brave foot forward, the hobbit went up to wrap his arms around Smaug, murmuring. "Welcome back." He looked up at Smaug warmly but curiously, he had had an inkling of what was going on, but he couldn’t be completely sure. "What was all that?"

The dragon hesitated, then wrapped his arms around the hobbit’s shoulders for a moment. His chest glowed a warm gold, and Smaug thought for less than a second before replying. "Probably hoarding. Very common dragon behavior, the animal instinct takes over and the impulse to inventory everything that is yours is undeniable." He shrugged slightly. "It can be rather distressing, and is most likely to happen in the mornings when the brain is tired and cannot control what hormones go through your body as well." He hesitated. "I'm sorry if I scared you, or if I was too forward."

Maybe a bit. "I don't mind," Bilbo replied warmly, grinning tentatively up at Smaug. He hesitated before asking, "Are....did you mean what you said, and did? When you were....hoarding?"

Smaug raised an eyebrow. Had he said something bad? He told the truth anyway. "I don't know how I strung together a sentence in that state, but... Yes. Probably. Animals don't lie." He shrugged.

"So..." Bilbo paused, a little grin appearing on his face accompanied by a blush. "That means you wanted me to be yours?"

Oh. Oh. He'd said that. "Um," he managed to say, blushing slightly. "Yeah, I did, since yesterday when I went out I knew for sure ah... Do you feel the same way? I uhm..." He blinked, and looked carefully at the hobbit.

For once, it was Bilbo making Smaug become all flustered—which Bilbo found very amusing indeed, having the tables turned—and he couldn't help but smile more widely, his eyes shining with a delighted relief. "I think I do," he replied softly, cuddling against the dragon's stomach and hoping to spark more of that blush on his face  which looked so strange and foreign on Smaug but also utterly adorable and endearing.

The dragon hummed, he didn't need to feel awkward then, if Bilbo felt the same. He ended up pulling the hobbit upwards to place him carefully on the bench. The hobbit’s legs sat snugly around his waist, and Smaug tilted his head. "That's good then," he purred, leaning forward and blinking slowly as he stared into Bilbos eyes. He looked amused.

"Yes, it is," he agreed happily. Bilbo had never been a very forward hobbit, but he suddenly found himself leaning forward and reaching up to place a chaste kiss on Smaug's cheek, which made himself blush. He pulled back quickly to gauge Smaug's reaction, hoping that had been okay.

The dragon gave a deep chuckle, the turned Bilbos face to press a soft kiss on the little lips. They were soft and little, and it was all Smaug could do to not stay there and keep going. He pulled back, and grinned, running a hand down Bilbos cheek with a look of adoration in his eyes.

Apparently it had been, because then Smaug was kissing him, but fully, on the lips. Bilbo's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but he quickly melted into the kiss, leaning forward with his eyes fluttering closed. He felt light fingers come up to caress the side of his face, and he leaned into the touch. His eyes blinked open when his warm mouth pulled away, and the expression Smaug was looking at him with made him flush. "What?" he said self-consciously.

Smaug smiled lightly. "You're very easily flustered," he rumbled, the fingers now trailing down the hobbits bare arm, soft and gentle. "It's rather adorable." He tilted his head, watching as the hobbit seemed to color more. "It's not a bad thing, rather endearing."

He hummed pleasantly at the contact for a moment. "Well.... You can be too, if I recall correctly," Bilbo countered, narrowing his eyes playfully. It might take a bit—well, a lot—more effort to get the dragon to redden than it did for him to, but Bilbo had managed to do it once. "Adorable...." he grumbled, feigning a pout. "You're adorable...."

The dragon sniffed disdainfully. "I am not adorable." He dropped his tone low, breathing out a huge fog of smoke into Bilbo’s face. "I am fire," he growled, pulling on Bilbo’s fingers. "I am death." He hissed the last word, coming forward and trailing his teeth down Bilbo’s jaw.

Bilbo was a bit taken by surprise at that reaction, and the dark, low voice. He shivered and tilted his head to the side, giving him better access. "Are you?" Bilbo murmured, lifting his eyelids to eye Smaug in a teasingly doubtful expression.

The dragon hissed a small, "Yes," as he bared his teeth and nipped the skin. He deliberately made his teeth a little sharper, making sure it would leave a mark. "Would you like to see?" He rumbled, pulling on Bilbo’s shoulders so he was pressed right against the dragon, warmth emanating from his chest in waves.

Bilbo sucked in a sharp breath as Smaug's teeth pricked at his skin and he was pressed against his overly warm body. He looked up at Smaug, so close and hot, and got a determined little glint in his eyes. Sliding his hands up to Smaug's shoulders, Bilbo pulled himself up to Smaug's face, hot breath against his cheeks as he stared at him through hooded eyes. "You can give it your best shot..." Bilbo breathed, moving forward to press his lips firmly against Smaug's, feeling extra small next to the dragon but trying to make up for it with enthusiasm.

The dragon let Bilbo kiss him to his hearts content for a moment, but he pulled away and panted open mouthed. "Woah there," he chuckled, trailing his lips softly over Bilbo’s, not letting his little hobbit latch onto him. "Kisses that do not lead to anything are soft," he rumbled, a small kiss feather light on Bilbo’s left cheek bone. "Gentle, like petals," he dragged them then to Bilbo’s chin. It was brilliant, teasing him like this. "Try again." He whispered, pulling back and waiting for Bilbo to do as asked.

Bilbo let out an indignant huff, but reached up again, letting his lips graze across Smaug's skin. He first dropped a gentle kiss on his cheek....then the corner of his mouth....then his chin....his jaw....his neck....and finishing off by pressing a quick kiss to the pulse point Smaug's throat, before nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "Like that?" Bilbo hummed against his skin.

The dragon purred in reply. "Much better," he breathed, wrapping his arms around the back of the hobbit and drawing lines on his bare back. He tucked his arms under Bilbo’s legs and pulled him up, holding him in the air off the bench. He carried the little thing to the bed, plopping him down and then crawling over him, tilting his head as his hair fell forward. His whole body dwarfed the small hobbits.

Smaug seemed quite large in that moment, towering over Bilbo's comparatively smaller frame. His little heart was beating wildly, and he was a bit breathless.

Smaug pressed a kiss to the hobbit’s mouth, a strong, slightly more passionate one. He pulled back, irises glowing a heated gold, matching his chest. "I think I love you," he rumbled, pressing small kisses over and over on the little creatures lips.

Bilbo was a bit surprised at the vigor of the kiss, but melted into it, his smaller mouth enveloped by Smaug's insistent lips. The hobbit stared warmly at his golden, shining eyes and smiled against Smaug's lips. "I...think I love you, too..." Bilbo breathed between kisses, closing his eyes and reaching up to loop his arms around his neck.

 **  
**Smaug hummed, chest light flaring slightly. It had been far too long since he had heard those words. Far too long, and it was amazing. And he pulled himself as close as he could to the little hobbit, wanting to be near to him, he loved him. He was... More than fire, more than gold. He was... Something to live for.


End file.
